It’s one thing to have good intentions, but Medi-Share’s IT department also has heart! The team used its skillset and paid time off to volunteer to help those in need by performing a 24-hour Hackathon to assist the CarePortal.
They called this hackathon a Give Backathon.
Medi-Share employees are given 24 hours of paid time off a year to volunteer for the charity, church, or school of their choice. Medi-Share’s IT department chose to give back to one of the organizations Medi-Share partners with through their National Outreach program.
Our National Outreach efforts were announced as part of our strategic plan in the fall of 2020 by CEO, Scott Reddig.
“As a ministry, we care for other believers but we are missing out on the great commission and meeting the needs of those who are outside of the church. For that reason, we launched our National Outreach Program which brought in four different partners. One of them being the CarePortal,” said Stephen Myers, Director of Ministry Outreach at Medi-Share.
CarePortal creates connections within the Circles of Care around the isolated child. Bringing together the family, church, and community to create a holistic, healthy approach to caring for kids. Because every child matters.
“I’ve always been impressed with their mission and the efforts they put forth for families and children. My family has been blessed with the ability to adopt a wonderful daughter. We love this platform and are glad we get to be a part of it,” said Brandon Fuller, Software Development Manager at Medi-Share.
This Give Backathon lasted a full day and a half, totaling more than 400 hours between 33 Medi-Share employees. This effort was near and dear to the Medi-Share IT team because several of them are adoptive or foster parents and they felt personally drawn to the organization and the work they do.
This team used their IT skill and acumen to advance technical features to the CarePortal’s Map and Connections. This feature helps show where needs are located, enabling churches or businesses to identify nearby needs they can help meet.
Michael Alexander, one of the IT team leaders, spearheaded the effort by splitting the department into four teams, each with its own creative name, and all teammates received t-shirts. The work they did during this Hackathon showed just how creative they were. Teams came up with solutions such as 3D towers and spidering location connections, Zoom features, and popups.
Nathan Stowell, Sr. Software Solutions Architect for Medi-Share, was part of the team that developed the 3D towers and spidering. He says he loved having the opportunity to volunteer with his team even though he lives far away.
“What spoke to me was the culture of Medi-Share,” said Adrien Lewis, Chief Innovation Officer at CarePortal. “It is not just an outside thing; it’s an inside thing. The way the people of Medi-Share care for the people who use the service and the way they care for each other, I was blessed by that. Our team is better for watching them work together.”
Debbie Ryan is a Public Relations Specialist with CCM. In addition to being a wife and mom, Debbie is passionate about health and wellness and encourages others in healthy living every chance she gets.
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