Reaching Goals Together
Charlie Gay’s name might not be familiar, but his events certainly are. After starting his career at age 22, Charlie began organizing events for Margaret Thatcher when he was only 24. It didn’t take long before he started promoting events for some of the biggest names in music, including Luciano Pavarotti, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac, and Phil Collins.
In 1991, Charlie Gay came to the United States to join Cher’s personal management team. Since then he has organized events for the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Candlestick Park, and the Washington, D.C. Mall. Charlie also co-founded Promenade Pictures with Frank Yablans, who is the founder of Buena Vista and the head of Paramount Pictures.
With so much work to be done, it seems as if Charlie would have no time for anything else, but in fact, his real pride and joy lies in his work with Humanity Unites Brilliance (HUB). A for-profit organization, HUB diligently strives to help people out of survival mode and bring them into a mode of self-empowerment and sustained abundance.
Enthusiasm and passion have always been the driving force behind Charlie Gay’s successes (and failures). Zeal causes people to do great things, but it also gets people into trouble sometimes. Charlie is no exception. Thankfully, his good has far outweighed his bad. He has even worked with Nelson Mandela’s Mineseeker Foundation and helped organize Billy Graham’s final crusade.
Charlie Gay has always had a passion for uniting people, whether it was through music or through charitable organizations. He believes people all over the world have a desire to do something great, but they don’t know how to start or where to send their money. That’s where HUB comes in. It unites people who have a common goal so that the goal can be reached.
Take Mozambique for example. In recent years, floods forced many people from their homes into refugee camps. Non-profit aid programs had no money or resources available, and the United Nations World Food Program short by 70% on expected funding. Heidi Baker had been a primary care-giver in the country for over 20 years, so when Charlie spoke to her, he knew something needed to be done.
Heidi did not feel she was able to deal with the hunger problem alone, so Charlie reached out to Larry Jones of the non-profit Feed the Children organization. Together they reached out to the for-profit company Nourish the Children, enabling them to deliver $2 million worth of meals from a factory in China to the starving refugees in Mozambique.
To help others, we must first look at ourselves. What are your talents? What are your strengths? As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll never go hungry.” Throwing money at a cause isn’t the answer. Dig deep within yourself and unite with others to make great changes in your community and the world.
