Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to have dozens of interns, volunteers and helping hands to promote the PeaceTones cause throughout the world.  The list below is our attempt to extend a thank-you to all who have worked so passionately to help musicians around the world.  This list is by no means exhaustive, and we would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to everyone who has supported the PeaceTones team over the years.

General Supporters

The World Justice Project – Seed funding for PeaceTones Sierra Leone, PeaceTones Haiti: Balan and PeaceTones: Brazil

Bentley Center for Business Ethics – Co-sponsor of PeaceTones launch at Bentley University in 2008

Project Partners & Collaborators

PeaceTones Haiti Sings

Franklin Dalembert & The Haitian Coalition of Somerville

Radio & Télévision Nationale D’Haiti

Edwin Paraison, Haitian Minister of the Diaspora

Chillhouse Studios

Nathan Sabanayagam – booking, coordinating and mentoring of Haiti Sings winner during Wanito’s trip to Boston in April 2011

PeaceTones Haiti: Balan

RESPE Ayiti

Tufts Institute for Global Leadership (IGL)

Rebecca Rosemé  Obounou, Christian Haitian Entrepreneurial Society, Inc. (CHES)

PeaceTones Brazil

Kurt Shaw & Shine A Light Organization

PeaceTones Sierra Leone

Daniel Rainey – PeaceTones Sierra Leone: Songs from Freetown

Pro-bono Legal Services

Goodwin Procter

Arent Fox

Ropes & Gray

Interns and Volunteers

Boston University

BU AdLab

Christine Issa – Team Supervisor

Arafat Khazi – Web design

Samantha Reinstein – Copywriting

William Fitzpatrick – Web design

BU School of Law

Julia Gregoire – French translation & delivery of legal workshop in Port-au-Prince, for PeaceTones Haiti Sings

Mark Goracke – Creation of Contracts training package for PeaceTones Haiti Sings

Valerie Kua  – Creation of Intellectual Property training package for PeaceTones Haiti Sings

Sydelle Exantus, – Haitian Creole translation & transcribing for PeaceTones Haiti Sings

James Cormie – Contract drafting & review for PeaceTones Haiti: Balan

Ivan Goering  – Contract drafting & review for PeaceTones Haiti: Balan

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Robert Wronski – Campus event coordination

Lindsey Helizer – Campus event coordination

Michael Davoli – Marketing

Jake Walker – logo design

Bentley University

Spencer Bramson – Marketing & Grassroots campaign planning

Tufts University

Molly Dow – Campus event coordination; marketing & grant research

PeaceTones Visionaries

Jeffrey Aresty

In the summer of 2008, Jeffrey Aresty, the President of PeaceTones’s umbrella organization (Internet Bar Organization), came up with the seed of an idea for PeaceTones.  After many obsessive discussions about the possibilities of improving access to justice and economic opportunities for musicians around the world, he teamed up with board member Daniel Rainey and then-Vice-President Gillian Neer to brainstorm on a working model for PeaceTones.  From this collaborative birth, PeaceTones has grown over the past few years into a much larger collaborative effort, as individuals and organizations from every walk of life have come together, drawn in by Jeff’s passion for the cause and joined by their interests music and social justice.

Daniel Rainey

In addition to being an active Board Member & PeaceTones adviser since 2008,  Mr. Rainey has been actively involved in PeaceTones since its inception in 2008, helping President of IBO, Jeffrey Aresty and then-Vice President, Gillian Neer, create the name, business model and fundraise for the first PeaceTones pilot projects.  Mr. Rainey has since continued to actively participate in and support PeaceTones, helping us find our very first PeaceTones artists in Sierra Leone, and create the first PeaceTones album (PeaceTones Sierra Leone), as well as helping to raise funds for the following projects.  His expertise in International Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies have helped us shape and grow our mission and vision for PeaceTones.

Gillian Neer

Gillian was one of the first ever members of the PeaceTones team.  She was co-creator of PeaceTones, co-designing the PeaceTones pilot business model with the President of IBO, Jeffrey Aresty.  Gillian also headed grant-writing for PeaceTones’ seed funding from World Justice Project, which launched our program, and then worked tirelessly planning for initial PeaceTones trips in 2009 to the West Bank/Israel (June), Afghanistan (July) and Haiti (August).  Gillian continues to be a fervent supporter of our cause!

Michelle Mount

Michelle worked with PeaceTones in the Fall of 2009 to set up our first website and organized a team of students at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to establish PeaceTones’ early web presence through social media.  Michelle continues to support PeaceTones from her new home in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she now works in the microfinance field.

Valerie Schenkman

Valerie joined the PeaceTones team in the summer of 2009, and helped with grant-writing and project planning for PeaceTones trips in 2009 to the West Bank/Israel (June), Afghanistan (July) and Haiti (August).  She then became Project Director of PeaceTones from March 2010 till December 2010, and worked with Executive Director, Ruha Devanesan, to plan and implement the Haiti Sings contest in the summer of 2010.