Tech Disruptors for Good: Goodie Hack Aims to Transform Communities Worldwide

Saturday, June 21, 2014 marked the second effort of the “Goodie Hackers” to be the change they want to see in the world. Hundreds of local entrepreneurs, designers, developers, marketers, and service enthusiasts assembled in the co-working offices of Opportunity Hub in Atlanta to help 10 local organizations with various needs, all technology-related, and assist in furthering their mission for underserved communities.

For most, it was the first time experiencing what it’s like to participate in a hackathon or a tech startup. Supported by gracious sponsors like Google, who just created a $50 million fund to inspire more women to code, as well as The Awesome Foundation – Atlanta Chapter, who awarded Goodie Hack with its first grant, this is only the beginning of transforming local communities one hackathon at a time by bringing together the best and brightest minds to create change for those who lack the resources to fully accomplish their organization’s goals.

Led by Joey Womack, co-founder of sf35, an organization for high-performance capacity African American, Latino, and women entrepreneurs, the program is off to an impactful start with its sight set on creating a level playing field for those often overlooked. “Our mission is to help one billion people in underserved communities all over the world. We want to help raise their basic need averages in education, economic development, environment, and health up to their respective country’s national average,” Womack said.

For example, there are dismal reports showcasing very low graduation rates in low socioeconomic or underserved areas, especially for African American students. Many of the projects that Goodie Hack helps facilitate directly tackle these issues, via a technology-based solution such as interactive websites, mobile apps and new strategies for tech integration, to aid in raising these numbers incrementally all over the nation and tapping into the power of the digital future.