GoogleServe 2011: Giving back around the world

Over the last month, more than 7,700 Googlers helped serve their communities across 400 different projects as part of GoogleServe, an employee-driven initiative organized almost entirely by volunteers. Through partnerships with nonprofits, schools and local governments, Googlers from 119 cities in 36 countries helped communities in need with projects ranging from educating youth about online bullying to cleaning up local rivers and parks.

GoogleServe began in 2008 and has become an annual company tradition. Giving back to our communities not only revitalizes and strengthens our connections with the cities and towns in which we live and work, it also brings us closer together as a global team. Each year the event has grown in size and scope and this year’s GoogleServe was our largest yet. Here’s a sampling of some of the projects we participated in this time around:

• In New York, we led resume writing workshops and provided career coaching to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America members seeking employment.
• We helped Mountaineering Ireland construct drains in order to maintain a stretch of trail along the Dublin Mountains Way.
• We facilitated a strategic planning session for staff from the Post Prison Education Program in Seattle.
• We conducted an online tools workshop for NGOs in Singapore with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.
• We fixed up bikes with Free Ride in Pittsburgh, which will be donated to local nonprofits and residents.
• At the Punjabi Bagh Central Market area in West Delhi, we cleaned and removed old, decayed posters with the help of “Lets do it Delhi,” an organization which has taken up the initiative to minimise abuse of public property.
• We provided one-on-one consultations with high potential, low income women starting their own businesses with the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment in San Francisco.
• We ran a bookmaking workshop for elementary school children with 826LA in Venice, CA.

While GoogleServe is an annual celebration of community service, employees donate both time and money to organizations and causes throughout the year. You can find opportunities to serve your local community at All For Good.

Here are some photos of our team in action:



Posted by Seth Marbin, GoogleServe Global Director