Microsoft Sponsors First National GiveCamp Technical Wishlists

Microsoft had sponsored the first ever National GiveCamp wherein in over 1,000 volunteers spent a single weekend from Jan. 14 through Jan. 16 in 14 locations across the United States.

The volunteers included teams of designers, developers and database administrators who had donated their time and technical expertise to benefit charities that needed custom software or maybe even a new website.

More than 120 non-profit charitable organizations had participated in the event, who could not have afforded the financial or staffing means to complete the IT projects, which will now enable the charities to better reach the communities they serve. Twenty partnerships aided Microsoft’s (News - Alert) efforts and these included: Domino’s offering free pizza for volunteers; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters provided free coffee; DevExpress with its software; and Pluralsight provided free training for volunteers.

The success of the previous GiveCamps had encouraged Microsoft to undertake this venture and enable charitable organization to overcome the hurdles of location and sponsorships. The latest event included 14 National GiveCamp locations wherein a wide variety of charities, including organizations that help the elderly, children, the homeless, animals, domestic abuse survivors and low-income people, were among the communities in need.

Fourteen different locations across the United States will simultaneously participate in this event, the locations include:

• Austin GiveCamp—Austin, Texas;
• AZGiveCamp—Phoenix;
• Birmingham GiveCamp—Birmingham, Ala.;
• Colorado Springs GiveCamp—Colorado Springs, Colo.;
• Dallas GiveCamp—Dallas;
• GiveCamp Atlanta—Atlanta;
• GiveCamp Houston—Houston;
• Nashville GiveCamp—Nashville, Tenn.;
• NEPA GiveCamp—Dallas, Pennsylvania;
• Northwest Arkansas GiveCamp—Fayetteville, Ark.;
• NYC GiveCamp—New York City, New York;
• Philly GiveCamp, Malvern, Pennsylvania;
• Seattle GiveCamp, Redmond, Wash.;
• and St. Louis GiveCamp—Clayton, Mo.

In a release, the National GiveCamp Lead and a Microsoft employee,Mary Perisic, said, “Microsoft is thrilled to help out with the first ever National GiveCamp. The volunteers tell us this event is one of the most rewarding and fun challenges they take on all year. The charities are excited to have their IT projects completed.”

The President and CEO, Daniel Johnson, added, “Volunteers are helping the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County with two projects. The first will revamp and greatly increase the capabilities of teenjobs.org, the organization’s YouthForce website for teen employment and training. The second project will involve extensive search engine optimization of the current Boys & Girls Clubs of King County website, allowing more kids and their families to connect with its services. A partner like GiveCamp really demonstrates how a group of volunteers can improve the lives of the kids in our community. We are so grateful.”

To find out more about Microsoft, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2011. To be held Feb. 2-4 in Miami, ITEXPO (News - Alert) is the world’s premier IP communications event. Visit Microsoft in booth #1030. Don’t wait. Register now.