WAV lives by our C.A.R.E.S. (Customer. Accountability. Respect. Excellence. Service.) Motto. Our people embody it, our work ethic displays it & our partnerships exhibit it. We’d like to shout out to Extreme Networks for taking a weekend to give back.
While some were unwinding from a busy work week, Extreme and others were ramping up their IT skills last weekend at the Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) Ottawa Hackathon. Part of a global organization, RHoK hosts “hackathon” events that invite developers to collaborate on solving technology challenges faced by community groups, charities, not-for-profits and civic organizations.
The Ottawa chapter holds a hackathon every six months, and to ensure the event ran smoothly, Extreme donated wireless networking gear and its ERS 4800, ERS 4900, VSP 4000. Extreme Network’s technology enabled the participants to work at their very best and provided them with a reliable network to build their technology solutions created for the hackathon. With a strong wireless network foundation in place, volunteers were able to focus efforts on bringing their new solutions to life.
Over 100 participants made up of problem solvers, creative thinkers, and technologists worked in teams to tackle six projects throughout the course of the weekend. Though the majority of attendees were students and young adults, volunteers of all ages collaborated in groups to support projects, which included non-profits and charities local to Ottawa such as the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program, Ottawa Community Housing, Cuts for Kids Foundation, Trans Health Information Ottawa, Gourmet-Xpress, and Voice Found. Participants dedicated their time to solving these organizations’ biggest technology challenges; ranging from organizing an efficient data collection method for databases to redesigning order platforms to custom building new web and mobile applications.
As technology becomes an increasingly crucial tool to run successful businesses, the hackathon provides organizations that may not have the resources to address technology challenges with a community willing to come together and solve them. In turn, it gives local community members the opportunity to refine their technology and problem-solving skills as they are entering the workforce. As a sponsor of the hackathon, Extreme is proud to support the creative and technical minds who are building new and innovative technology solutions.
