There are few things that make me more proud to be part of the Stack Exchange community than the outpouring of good will that comes during our "Giving Back" program. Each year we set this time aside to remember the organizations and people who need our help by offering to make a $100 donation to charity on behalf of each community moderator. It's just a small gesture of thanks to our moderators from each community whose hard work makes this all possible.
In our sixth year of Giving Back, I started to wonder if asking Moderators to select their charities year after year might become somewhat routine and unremarkable.
But it's been quite the opposite.
As December rolls around, the buzz and anticipation for this event gets stronger with each passing year — "When do we get to pick our charities?" — and when the selections finally go out, the passion and enthusiasm of folks rushing in to help is nothing short of remarkable.
So on behalf of the 132 communities and the 433 Moderators of Stack Exchange, we were able to make the following donations to charity this year:
And from our engineering team, let's not forget the tools and organizations that make what we do possible:
- Git and the Software Freedom Conservancy — $1,000
- HAProxy — $1,000
- jQuery Foundation — $1,000
- OpenBSD — $1,000
Charities embody some of the best qualities in all of us. Whether you're fighting for a cause that is important to you, or helping someone whose life may be falling apart, there's an almost indescribable bond that forms when neighbor embraces neighbor to overcome whatever difficulties you face.
We may have not had our own Hurricane Sandy event this year, but when you're giving back to help others, you can't help but reflect back on those times when someone reached out to you, and you start to wonder if perhaps you’ve sparked that same feeling of hope and fellowship in someone else today… if even just a little.
I would like to end this year with glasses held high — to thank all of you, the community of Stack Exchange, for helping us make all of this possible. It's times like these that I will reflect back on and cherish always.
Cheers!
