Last year IT professionals gave hundreds of thousands of
pounds in cash and time to help charitable causes, and in this, our
40th anniversary year, Computer Weekly will be supporting a range
of events to help even more people do their bit.
The hub for many charitable activities in the IT sector is the
livery company for IT, the Worshipful Company of Information
Technologists (WCIT), which aims to maximise the impact and
effectiveness of each pound raised. The WCIT has a charitable trust
fund which helps new activities get off the ground and then helps
to spread their benefits.
One example of this is the Lifelites scheme, which identified
the the need for a special communication system for seriously ill
children in hospices. The WCIT arranged for IT professionals to
build a pilot in one hospice and then organised the installation of
the system into more than 30 children's hospices in the UK.
ICTIndustry Charity Ball
There are many opportunities for IT professionals to take part
in different types of charitable activities. The grandest charity
event of the year is the annual Intellect ICT Charity Ball,
supported by Computer Weekly and the WCIT, which last year raised
£70,000 for the Starlight Foundation. This year's event, themed "A
Night in Atlantis", takes place on 27 June, and several hundred
people are expected at the dinner, dance and fundraising
auction.
WCIT Charity Walk
For those with families, the WCIT Charity Walk, which takes
place on Sunday 17 September, offers a family-oriented charity
event for IT professionals. It is based at the Honourable Artillery
Company's grounds in the heart of the City of London and comprises
a series of walks visiting parts of London that are normally closed
to the public. Last year the event raised £25,000 for
Barnado's.
This year both the industry ball and charity walk have set their
sights on raising considerably more, and during 2006 Computer
Weekly will be encouraging readers to take part.
www.wcit.org.uk
Byte Night
In a more challenging event, a hardy group of about 250 IT
industry leaders will take part in Byte Night on 29 September. This
is a sponsored overnight sleep-out in central London to raise money
for charity NCH's work with homeless children. Last year Computer
Weekly's managing editor was among the sleepers, who collectively
raised £230,000.
www.bytenight.org.uk
Vanco Adventure Challenge
In the Vanco Adventure Challenge, groups of IT professionals
spend a gruelling weekend in July raising money from their sponsors
the hard way - by climbing the three highest peaks in Wales,
England and Scotland within 24 hours. Last year the challenge
raised £130,000 for global aid organisation Care International.
www.careinternational.org.uk/events/challenge_events.htm
IT4Communities
For those who prefer to use their technology expertise to help
others, the IT4Communities scheme provides a structured framework
for IT professionals who want to help local charities or community
projects.
The programme brings volunteers and charities together and
offers advice and guidance. IT4Communities is backed by the British
Computer Society, Citizens Online, Business in the Community and
the WCIT, as well as Computer Weekly.
Since it started in November 2002, more than 3,000 IT
professionals have registered. To date they have donated hundreds
of thousands of pounds worth of their time to charitable
projects.
www.it4communities.org.uk