Are you going out every week or two to have drinks with your friends? I am assuming you and your friends have some similar interests, right? Why not do something awesome with that time? Next time you go out, take along some paper and a pen. That is all it takes to make great things happen. I have PROOF… please read on.
It all started about 5 years ago. A few of my fellow geeky friends were hanging out (like we always did), having drinks, jammin’ to some tunes and talking code (SQL, perl, .Net, whatever). A lot of the guys there were actually playing in the bands that we were listening to. It was a private backyard gathering thing. As the night went on we were talking about how we are all geeks and we were at “GeekAid” (a play on “Farm Aid“). We started joking around about how GeekAid is here to heighten public awareness about the plight of the Geeks in our community (total joke, we all made decent money, no real issues going on). Anyways, joke after joke, we kept talking….
But then, at some point, it got SERIOUS.
A few days later we were talking about how the enrollment into colleges for Engineering, Computer Science and other Technology related areas have been consistently going down and/or not growing. And we all agree that the future of West Michigan is going to be in the technology arena. So we thought that maybe we could do something.
We were already meeting up at the bar once every week or two anyways, we figured lets continue drinking our beers and having fun, but let’s start focusing on a single topic. How could we make GeekAid happen… for real? We all have friends that play in bands, we are all geeks, and we are all about helping out our local community. The next time a few of us hung out, we started writing ideas down. And that was pretty much the start. Writing it down, figuring out next steps, assigning responsibilities and holding each other accountable on deadlines and tasks. And yes, we still had a ton of fun.
…skipping full history and all of the changes and hurdles and so on….
FAST FORWARD… 5 years later)
After a few iterations, GeekAid now exists! We are in our 5th year and our event has been growing each year. So, What is GeekAid? The quick description: As of right now, we hold a concert at Riverside Park, Grand Rapids, MI. We have 5-7 bands play for free. Admission is free, $5 suggested donation. We have a beer tent (we make money there). We have food and art vendors (the give us a small percentage back from sales). Throughout the year we raise money from corporate sponsors who see the value in investing in our youth’s technology passion and skills. Oh yes, that reminds me. The most important thing about GeekAid is our Goals:
- Get people excited about being a Geek. (aka Geeks are COOL!)
- Award scholarships to local high school students that are passionate about tech, but may not have been able to pursue a technology degree due to financial constraints.
ALL DONATIONS TO GEEKAID GO TO SCHOLARSHIPS
It is awesome, we have come a long way. From a circle of friends having a few brews together. To actually affecting the lives of kids and the community we live in. I won’t go into all of the details of it, but we are very excited about it and very busy putting it together right now. The event happens soon, check out full details here:
Was it perfect from Day One? Heck no. As with anything, there will be obstacles and learning along the way. And everything will not be perfect. It will not be what you originally planned. Somethings will end up better, some will be less than what you wanted. But it can happen. It can be fun. It will evolve into it’s own thing. Goals will change, missions will change, people will change. You will find people outside of your circle that are extremely passionate about your ideas. It will end up becoming it’s own “thing”.
Ok, I am done. The most important thing is to get out there and do it. Do it for everyone. Do it for yourself. You KNOW you have the time. It will make you feel GREAT. You will have something to leave behind.
Oh, and by the way: If you live in Grand Rapids, MI…. Come out to GeekAid 
Other News Articles about GeekAid:
GeekAid v5.0 paves the way for kids to follow their dreams
GeekAid music festival raises money for GRPS students
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