This fall, he and Jen opened their home to Tushabe and an AOET musical group called Predestined, which raises money for the organization by giving free concerts and selling the crafts villagers made.
The group performed at Grace Community Church in September, with Jen manning the craft sales tables and Johnny running around manning a video camera. They raised thousands, and 77 kids got sponsors.
Now, Johnny is trying to get Predestined hooked up on iTunes and is working on drawing more recruits to the I Hack Charities effort.
He filed for nonprofit status at the beginning of the year, registered under the name Hackers for Charity. He's raised $2,000, and he just got his first corporate sponsor last month: Annapolis Junction's Proteus Technologies is ponying up 10 new customized laptops in exchange for a security lecture from Johnny. The company is talking with a partner about matching the donation.
He's still spending too much time on the computer. And he's got a thought in the back of his head that won't go away.
"I'd love to be doing it full time," he says.
It's likely an impossible dream, and he knows it. He's got a family to support after all - people to think about. People other than him. But as far as daydreams go, it's one he can live with.
tricia.bishop@baltsun.com
