(Image Credit: Code it Forward)

Ten charities from Vancouver, Canada will be coming together with developers and marketers during the weekend of July 25^th - 26^th for the "Code it Forward" hackathon sponsored by AURO and hosted by Lighthouse Labs. 

Some of the non-profits involved include Canucks Autism Network, BC Lung Association, DTES Food Connection, The LipStick Project, Aunt Leah’s Place, Quest Food Exchange and H.A.V.E. Cafe. The developers will be working alongside the charities for 36 hours in total with the aim of creating new solutions for helping them achieve their individual goals. 

We are working to establish a tradition that will inspire others across the country to give back

Vancouver's technology sector is rapidly-growing and yet remains a close-knit community. Code it Forward is born out of this unique environment with local companies wanting to provide their skills for the benefit of non-profits to help their community. 

AURO, a public cloud computing provider based in Vancouver, reached out to Lighthouse Labs in regards to a partnership for this important event. 

“We deeply believe in technology as a solution for social good. Our business mission has always been to create new possibilities with technology and to have a meaningful impact on organizations and their customers,” said AURO’s Chief Strategy Officer Matt McKinney. 

He continues: “Developing applications and software for non-profits are no different. Automation can solve so many problems when there is limited funding, and that’s why we wanted to be a part of Code It Forward. We’re here to support and bring the technical expertise to give everyone access to these tools without the need for excessive expense or complicated technologies.” 

Lighthouse Labs has previous experience with hosting events, and was the company behind the 'HTML 500' learn-to-code event which spanned four major cities across Canada earlier this year and was free to attend. 

“Lighthouse Labs has spent almost two years interacting with the amazing community in Vancouver. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to grow and expand the way we have,” said Lighthouse Labs’ Lead Instructor and Code It Forward’s Lead Organizer Don Burks. 

Burks continues: “We have invested ourselves in creating a developer network that has plugged in locally, building businesses here in Vancouver as well as abroad. Code It Forward is our attempt at fostering greater participation among the tech community towards creating genuine social good.  The innovative technologies it creates will maximize the organizations’ ability to help – given that they normally would not have the budget, bandwidth, or skill set to be able to handle these technological needs themselves. Thanks to the tremendous support from students, alumni, Code for Canada, and organizations such as AURO, we are working to establish a tradition that will inspire others across the country to give back and have a great time doing it. “ 

If you are interested in participating in this event, you can sign up here. 

Do you think a hackathon like Code it Forward would be as successful in other cities?