This July 17-19, the ETNUG (East Tennessee .Net Users Group) has the honor of participating in the 2nd Annual Michigan Give Camp as a Satellite Camp. Last year, we had a blast working w/ our colleagues in Michigan and I look for this year to be even better. We are currently recruiting any interested parties to join us and help us work for this great cause. If you are interested, please contact me either on this blog, via my twitter account (@nathanblevins), or at givecamp[at]nathanblevins[dot-com].
What is a Give Camp?
Briefly, the main goal of a give camp is to organize talented developers and ask them to donate a small amount of their time in order to develop applications for charities.
Of course, they say it better than I: Michigan Give Camp
I love this idea because I generally prefer to be more involved in charitable contributions rather than trying to simply ‘write a check.’ Often times, I do not have cash in surplus, so events like these give me the chance to use my own skill set to deliver a very valuable service to a worthy cause. Plus it is something I love doing, which makes it even better!
What is a Satellite Give Camp?
This event will be taking place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Even though there are a lot of great developers in Michigan, it is difficult for many people to participate if they do not live within easy driving distance. As a way to answer that problem, the Michigan Give Camp is asking people to try to organize remote facilities in which they can gather their own teams. These remote teams will be given their own tasks to complete and will be able to function as a completely separate unit. Since remoting is possible, the ETNUG is going to organize their own remote camp and gather together the best and brightest of our area to assist in the effort.
What can you contribute?
The Give Camp is not limited to just one field of expertise. In fact, there is need for Web Apps, Desktop Apps, Database Administration, Design + Layout, etc. Basically, if you have any programming, design, or computer experience, we can use you and would be glad to have you. Any contributions will be welcome!
*Even if you do not have computer experience, we will certainly need assistance w/ other tasks – so please feel free to join us!
What is in it for you?
Truthfully, nothing and everything... lol. The time spent is completely voluntary. There will be no monetary gains for any of the participates However, I am going to make sure that we get some good meals out of it and, hopefully, have a few nice door prizes to give away in the end. Despite these things, I can think of several reasons why this would be not only a fun event but also helpful to you.
- You get the satisfaction of donating your skills to a good cause. This way, I get to do something that I love and still greatly benefit the charities. In fact, the donation of our expertise would equate to a huge monetary contribution.
- You get to meet new people and learn new ideas. As developers, we are always on a quest to learn more / get better. This is a great way to meet that goal and learn about new ideas / concepts.
- You get to network. As any person in the industry could tell you, getting good jobs and opportunities is all about who you know. This is a very visible event that would make an excellent chance for you to get your name out there.
- Fun! This is not a work task. We will be working w/ a great group in a very laid back and enjoyable atmosphere.
What are the Logistics of this event?
The basic format that is suggested by Ann Arbor is using three days(Friday, Saturday, Sunday). However, we are free to organize our remote event in any way that meets our needs, provided that we are within the July 17 - 19 time frame. Once I get a running list of interested parties, we will find out the days / times that will work out for everyone else. I do want to stress that this will not be like 'going to work' but, rather, a nice time to socialize and work with other professionals within our area.
In regards to location, we will most likely meet at a person’s home to work. Since I don’t quite have a feel for the number of people, this is subject to change as we get closer to the event. I will be sure to notify everyone as we get closer to the Give Camp Date.
In conclusion, I really feel that this will be a worthwhile and fun event that will enable us to uniquely assist those in need. If you are interested, please contact me either on this blog, via my twitter account (@nathanblevins), or at givecamp[at]nathanblevins[dot-com].
Please join us!