On August 19th, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, something remarkable will take place at Lake Elkhorn Middle School. L.O.V.E. Is The Answer, and the African American Community Roundtable will host an outdoor teacher and staff appreciation and student/family support event—a celebration of connection, culture, and community that demonstrates what’s possible when people come together and lead with love.
This is not just another back-to-school gathering. It’s a statement: we see you, we value you, and we’re committed to walking alongside you.
Why This Matters
Connection doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built with intention. It’s sparked by shared moments—a meal at a community table, a laugh over a game, the warmth of knowing someone cared enough to show up.
Events like this one close the gap between “us” and “them.” They disrupt isolation. They remind everyone that no one has to do life alone. When people choose to show up for one another in big and small ways, they create a ripple effect that shifts the culture from me to we.
More Than a Party — A Movement
Yes, the day will feature food, entertainment, games, and giveaways. But woven into the laughter and music will be the deeper work of restoring dignity, building trust, and planting seeds of hope.
The event will also mark the filming of the first episode of the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer TV series, produced by Eclipse Productions Inc., our parent company. Eclipse Productions is a media production, events, and education company founded by A.J. Ali in 1999 that raised more than $30 million for charities nationwide in its first 15 years of operations. Spotlighting real people putting love into action in their communities, this series is grassroots storytelling at its best, capturing moments that often go unseen but are the heartbeat of strong communities.
Hopelessness is contagious, but so is hope. Violence spreads, but so does kindness. Cynicism can be learned, but so can courage.
When people stand shoulder-to-shoulder in service to each other, they send a message to the world: love is the most powerful change agent we have.
The Four Tenets of Love
The event is built on the four core principles of L.O.V.E. Is The Answer:
- Learn about the people in your community.
- Open your heart to their needs.
- Volunteer yourself to be part of the solution in their lives.
- Empower others to do the same.
These principles will not be just words on a page on August 19th—they will be in motion. And they are indicative of the kind of events we have championed for more than a decade, where we have been quietly walking alongside people, helping them tend to their mental health and strengthen their emotional intelligence. We do this through educational programs, creative workshops, and therapeutic experiences that invite people to see one another, really see one another, in a way that changes everything.
How the Community Can Join In At This Event
Bring a favorite family dish.
Howard County Public Schools represent more than 140 countries. Imagine a table filled with flavors from around the globe, each dish carrying stories and traditions from kitchens far and near. Food is never just food; it’s memory, identity, and love served on a plate.
Donate supplies.
Backpacks, school supplies, and teacher/staff appreciation gifts are not simply items. They’re tools for confidence. They’re tangible ways to say, We believe in you.
Sponsor a meal or service.
Local businesses have the opportunity to be part of the story by sponsoring portions of the community dinner or contributing goods and services. In doing so, they feed both the body and the spirit of the community.
Share gifts and talents.
Music, art, games, and gardening will all be part of the day. A neighbor strumming a guitar, an artist painting alongside students, a gardener planting flowers—each adds a unique note to the event’s symphony of connection.
Help beautify the school.
A refreshed garden and a new mural will be unveiled. Caring for the physical space sends a clear message: This place matters. The people here matter.
Support financially.
For those unable to attend in person, contributing through the GoFundMe link allows them to be part of the movement from anywhere in the world:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-put-love-into-action
Sign up to contribute food, beverages, backpacks with school supplies, non-perishable food items, teacher/staff appreciation gifts, or other items here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADAF28A5FDC34-57769618-teacherstaff#
Join Our Planning Zooms
Community members and partners are invited to join our planning Zoom meeting ahead of the event to coordinate contributions and volunteer support.
- Date: 8/18/25
- Time: 5:30–6:15 PM Eastern Time
- Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-BWoYHTFTYGILcxcmX69fQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Weekly Planning Option
You are also invited to join a Zoom meeting for broader planning and collaboration in August.
- Planning Meeting Date: 8/18 (2025) from 5:30 to 6:15 PM Eastern Time
- Event Date: Tuesday, 8/19 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
- Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-BWoYHTFTYGILcxcmX69fQ
Visit Our Google Drive To Join the Event Planning Team
Join the planning team or learn how you can contribute to help make the event special for teachers, staff, students, and families of Lake Elkhorn Middle School:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QTuRRMg-Xv_2qVM5baMA61BGMm7ESr5i?usp=drive_link
The Ten Key Needs for August 19th
We need help in the following areas:
- Food & Beverage Sponsors: Ten to fifteen food and beverage companies are needed to sponsor items for 20 or more people to create a “Taste of the Community” vibe at the dinner. Our goal is to feed up to 200 people at the event.
- Back-to-School Items for students: Backpacks and school supplies so kids can begin the year strong and ready to learn.
- Food Drive: Non-perishable food items for students and their families to take home with them.
- Appreciation Items for Teachers & Staff: Items that show heartfelt appreciation for teachers and staff members.
- Entertainment: People willing to donate their time by performing music and other entertainment at the event.
- Fun Activities: Donated games and other fun activities—and people to help manage the activities.
- Garden Beautification: Gardeners to help beautify the garden (weeding, donating plants, and helping to plant them). We plan on unveiling the updated garden at the event.
- Mural: Artists and helpers to paint a mural on the wall where the garden is (a rear entrance to the school), as well as painting supplies.
- GoFundMe Support & Promotion: Visit the GoFundMe page to donate any amount to help support this movement by the people, for the people—and please share the link with others.
- TV Show Sponsors: Larger sponsorship opportunities are available for companies that want to get exposure in the TV show episode. Do you know anyone who might be interested?
Additional Info About the TV Show
Eclipse Productions has been creating meaningful grassroots media and educational products since 1999. As a follow-up to the FOX TV show “Good Fellas of Baltimore” and the award-winning film, WALKING WHILE BLACK: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer (one of the highest-rated documentary films of all time), the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer TV Series is now in production.
The first episode will be filmed in Columbia, Maryland, on Tuesday, August 19th, at the Lake Elkhorn Middle School event. The show will highlight people in the community helping other people in the community—including a very special surprise for one member of the community that you do not want to miss.
The Science Behind the Magic
Community work like this succeeds because:
- Belonging reduces violence. When individuals feel connected and valued, destructive behaviors decrease.
- Recognition increases motivation. Even small acts of acknowledgment have measurable effects on morale and performance.
- Shared experiences build trust. Eating together, playing together, and working together lay the groundwork for strong relationships.
These are not abstract theories. They are lived truths, borne out in communities that make the choice to show up for each other. And the beauty is that this kind of impact doesn’t require vast resources, only a willingness to act with heart.
For Those Who Can’t Attend
Not everyone will be able to stand in the schoolyard on August 19th, but anyone can still be part of the story. Call a friend in Maryland and spread the word. Share the GoFundMe link. Carry the four principles into your own neighborhoods, planting seeds of love and connection wherever you are.
Love in Action
The event at Lake Elkhorn Middle School is a chance for the community to lay down its differences, step out of its silos, and come together in a spirit of generosity. It’s an invitation to eat together, listen to one another, and celebrate what’s best in humanity. The hunger for this kind of connection is universal. And when people create it—even for just two hours—it has the power to outlast the moment.
The Invitation
The call is simple: come. Bring a dish, a smile, and a willingness to listen and learn. Celebrate the teachers who show up every day, the students who are stepping into a new school year, and the families who are working hard to support them.
Participation is more than attendance; it’s joining a movement. It’s telling a different kind of story about what happens when a community decides that love really is the answer.
On August 19th, Lake Elkhorn Middle School will be more than a school. It will be a gathering place where love appears in a hundred different ways, and where everyone is reminded: the answer is in the way we treat each other.
The Story Behind the Movement
For the uninitiated, L.O.V.E. Is The Answer is a movement started by founder A.J. Ali, a United States Air Force veteran. Since 2014, the organization has helped people improve their mental health and emotional intelligence through a variety of educational and therapeutic activities. This has always been meaningful work, but the journey that led to L.O.V.E. Is The Answer grew from a deeply personal place.
The movement was born out of A.J.’s own lived experience—specifically, the repeated experience of being abused by police for no reason other than the color of his skin. Those moments carved deep grooves in his heart, and silence was not an option. So he made a film: WALKING WHILE BLACK: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer. It premiered in 2017 with one goal: to help improve police-community relations. It went on to become one of the most successful documentaries of its kind, but more importantly, it started conversations that had been avoided for far too long.
During the making of the film, A.J. began exploring art therapy—initially to process his own trauma, and then to create a safe space for other veterans to do the same. What he soon discovered was powerful: police officers carry their own deep, untreated trauma, too. And like veterans, that unhealed pain often passes along, hurting themselves and others. Once A.J. understood that, the mission expanded. At L.O.V.E. Is The Answer, we weren’t just talking about awareness anymore—we were talking about healing.
Today, that same work extends to young adults, helping them address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) so they can live, lead, and vote from a place rooted in humanitarian values, not unhealed wounds.
One of the favorite ways these principles come to life is through our Kintsugi Workshops. In the Japanese tradition, Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, making the cracks part of its beauty instead of something to hide. Participants are handed a beautiful bowl and then—to their surprise—asked to break it. During one session, a woman cried at the thought of destroying something so lovely. Later, when she finished repairing it, she cried again; this time with joy. That’s when she understood: it was never just about the pottery.
A soul-stirring Kintsugi moment was even captured in WALKING WHILE BLACK. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t erase the breaks—it honors them and makes us whole in a new way.
Today, that same work reaches young adults, helping them get past these negative experiences, so they can live, lead, and vote from a place rooted in humanitarian values, not unhealed wounds.
As attendees will see at this event, these aren’t lofty ideals—they’re daily practices. They’re love in action.
#LoveIsTheAnswer #LeadWithLove #CommunityInAction #HealingTogether #ConnectionChangesEverything
Help Us Put L.O.V.E. Into Action
