How do Oregonians solve problems like helping the homeless find resources, serving people living with HIV and responding effectively to systemic social problems in our state? The answer, it turns out, starts with technology. This past weekend, CTL took part as a sponsor in the Technology Association of Oregon's (TAO) 4th annual Hack for a Cause, an event that strives to solve the challenges in our local communities by hacking them. The 200+ attendees at this year's event made Hack for a Cause one of the biggest hackathons in the state of Oregon.
In the heart of Downtown Eugene’s Innovation District, Hack for a Cause began on Friday evening with a keynote by Chris Ritzo of Measurement Lab. The hacking followed shortly after and closed at noon on Sunday, lasting for 40 straight hours. Over the weekend, the 200+ Hack for a Cause participants spent a combined total of more than 8,000 hours working towards solving Oregon's most important local community challenges. CTL was proud to provide twenty-five 27-inch monitors to help the weekend's participants work on developing their solutions.
The event closed with the opportunity for participants to present their solutions to the local businesses and entrepreneurs who could work towards implementing them in their real-world contexts. Some of the weekend's best and most innovative ideas were awarded with cash and other prizes. The Hack for a Cause event is built on the premise that all it takes to bring about meaningful change is an innovative idea and a channel to bring that idea to life. Year after year, Hack for a Cause proves to be a powerful force that harnesses the power of creative local minds and the promise of technology to bring revolutionary change to Oregonian communities and even beyond. This year was no exception.
We are blown away at how the local tech industry can offer such valuable insight and expertise to help solve so many challenges faced by our communities. A huge thank you from CTL to all of the participants who gave their time and all of the organizers and sponsors who made it all possible, so that together we can work towards positively and definitively bringing transformational change to Oregon. To learn more about the Hack for a Cause event or how you can get involved, you can visit the website here: https://hackforacause.org.
