Caring Enough to Give Back to Your Community

People who know me probably know a few tenets of my character: I can get very passionate about things, I like doing stuff (to the point where I say yes too much), and I give back where I can. Over the weekend, I hosted an event called the NEPA Hackathon and it was a lot of fun. I’d really like to see more of these things happen in Scranton.

I love events like NEPA Hackathon. There was a small group of us working on projects and having good conversation. We ate pizza and generally enjoyed ourselves. I think there can be a lot more of these types of events with the right support.

There are a few events in the area that are a big success. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade and La Festa are huge successes. The NEPA Blogcon is a fantastic event that not only helps people in the tech space, but donates all of its proceeds to a non-profit organization. The women who put that event together are really fantastic.

There are a few businesses in the tech space here in Scranton that are doing really well. I’d love to see those businesses be more active in the community. It broke my heart to read this post, outlining how terrible Scranton is, from a company that grew successful here.

If you thrive in a community, you should give back to that community. That’s how it becomes great.

The guys at Coalwork and I talk about this a lot. Great things happen here in Scranton; they could be even better if more people get involved. Besides, who wants to miss out on great events like the hackathon, or Designal Tap. 🙂

A great example is another community I’m a part of: The WordPress Community. Everyone cares so deeply. We contribute where we can. We share information. There are people in this community who I consider friends, whom I’ve never met in real life. I would love to see more of that sort of thing is Scranton.

I’m working with a couple of other people to host WordCamp Scranton here over the summer. I have no doubt it will be a success. Getting the right people involved is key.

Scranton can be a great city. We have massive talent here. It’s time to show that to people here and everywhere else. It’s time to get involved. It’s time to give back.