The Care for Peace Song

With a lot of help from my friends, board, and advisors, I started the Care for Peace Foundation in 2012. We built a prototype community development and health center in Pantawpyin, a “deep rural” village in Rakhine State, Myanmar. When we had a groundbreaking ceremony with Union, State, and local dignitaries and Buddhist monks, I thought that there should have been music of some kind to help celebrate the situation. I promised myself that there would be music of some kind when we came back for the grand opening ceremony.

While leaving the groundbreaking ceremony, I wrote the the Care for Peace song while Ko Hla Kyi, co-founder of the Care for Peace Foundation, and I drove on an overnight journey from r on the way to the airport. When I returned to California I searched and found two organizations that might help craft and sing the song so that we could send the resulting youtube videos to the children of the village to sing at the grand opening.

I was fortunate to have Jan Peterson’s Marin Choir in Mill Valley, California, be the first group of children to sing the song. Also, Stevie Greenwell, Choir Director of the Marin School of the Arts Advanced Treble Choir took up the challenge and subsequently presented the song at one of their presentation ceremonies.

When we returned to Pantawpyin, the children were prepared, and I was able to be the conductor as they sang the song for the village ceremony of our Care for Peace.

This is how it all started…

Jeffrey Charles Hardy—affectionately known as Papa Hardy—is a singer-songwriter whose music is rooted in a lifetime of purpose, compassion, and connection. He began writing and recording songs as an extension of his life’s mission through his nonprofit, Care For Peace, an organization devoted to building peace and opportunity in some of the world’s most underserved communities. His music became a powerful way to communicate the heart of his humanitarian work: unity, empathy, and the shared human spirit.

As Jeffrey’s journey continued, so did the evolution of his musical expression. Marriage, fatherhood, and eventually becoming a grandfather added new dimensions to his songwriting. These personal milestones brought a richness and emotional depth to his lyrics—stories of love, legacy, and the quiet, powerful beauty of family life. His songs are more than melodies; they are living reflections of a man who sees the world not only as it is, but as it could be.

Whether he’s writing about peace across borders or the joy of holding a grandchild’s hand, Jeffrey’s music is always personal, always heartfelt, and always hopeful. Papa Hardy is a celebration of his life’s work—through service, through song, and through stories that inspire connection across generations.