In fact, my first direct introduction to the Federal Laboratory Consortium was through a summer technology voluntary training course for teachers in a local public school system in the Washington DC suburbs about a decade ago. For many of those teachers, this course was an initial eye-opener to the new technologies that would become such a vital part of their students' lives. It was a satisfying experience for both Cliff and me, but it also began our personal friendship that resulted in a number of joint efforts between our two organizations. EDS has a corporate commitment to such programs, and encourages its employees to become personally involved. However, our meeting was focused on how to get more of the technology companies in this region to provide leadership and greater efforts in enhancing the charitable and community service organizations and efforts.
Community service goes beyond any moral and ethical demands or personal satisfaction.
It's just good business. First of all if the overall community doesn't meet basic standards, attracting the right employees will be ever harder. Second, increasing the averages increases the overall attractiveness of any community and makes for a broader business base. Further, within any organization greater teamwork for getting a job done is developed by such projects that are part of the volunteer networks. For managers and marketing professionals, there is no better way to also develop those personal relationships that allow jobs to be better performed.