Mountain Hiking with Compaq for a Great Cause
At Compaq Nashua, It's Bring on the Shadows!
Mountain Hiking with Compaq for a Great Cause
You can see Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, up close and personal on May 20 and 21 - and do a good deed at the same time. Compaq engineer Jerry Harrow, a volunteer with the Greater Nashua affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, is looking for volunteers to join him on Habitat's annual hike-a-thon, "Take a Hike for Humanity." "It's a nice, easy three-mile walk on well-traveled trails over easy to moderate terrain," Jerry says. For those not up to hiking to the top, alternative paths near the base are available. Billed as the most climbed mountain in the world, Mt. Monadnock offers breathtaking views for those who take the hike.
Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need throughout the world, building simple, decent, affordable housing. Funds raised from the hike go to Habitat's building projects in local areas. For more information contact Jerry at Compaq or see http://www.nashabitat.org/hike2000.html.
At Compaq Nashua, It's Bring on the Shadows!
April 5 was "Shadow Day" at Compaq in Nashua, New Hampshire. Compaq professionals representing several different fields from accounting to Web design guided a dozen or so eighth graders from the Nashua school district through a "typical" day. The Shadow program, an offshoot of a recently developed Partnership for Education with the school district, is a triple winner according to Human Resources Manager Leigh Bodington of the UNIX Systems Business Unit. "First, this benefits the kids," he said. "Also, it gives employees a chance to show off what we do on a daily basis. It's a matter of personal pride, and programs like this give us an opportunity to be a good corporate neighbor. This really is fun stuff."
Jane Taylor, university relations consultant for the same business unit, explains that, based on individual interests, students are matched with an appropriate Compaq pro. "Not everybody is an engineer here and not every student wants to be one either," she said. "We're interested in what happens in education today, but we also want to make kids aware of what a real work environment is like." So far, almost two dozen "shadowees" have volunteered for the job, according to Taylor.
Bodington stresses that the Shadow program is for all students, not just those already hooked on computer science. "This could be an awakening for kids who never considered the field," he said. "And kids who have trouble in school might discover something to excite them about the future."
The idea developed between Tim Yeaton, manager with the UNIX Systems Business Group, and a Nashua educator, when the two met at a Little League game. They started talking and three weeks later the partnership was up and running.
The Shadow program is just one aspect of what Leigh hopes will be an ongoing relationship with the school district. Four excited high school students are already earning extra credit working with Compaq's documentation folks to redesign the school's Web page. And Charlie Costigan, who is part of that documentation group, is also an advisor to a Junior Achievement project in the schools.
At Compaq, we always seek to enhance communities where the company has a significant business and employee presence. We see it as an investment in the future of both the company and the community. Click here to learn more about Compaq's community relations programs worldwide or for a copy of our charitable contributions guidelines.
