Dell launches Daffodil Day 2016 with a MegaDojo
At its three Irish campuses in Cork, Dublin and Limerick, Dell today launched Daffodil Day 2016 by hosting a MegaDojo for local schoolchildren.
Delivered in partnership with CoderDojo, the MegaDojo facilitated 100 students in learning how to ‘code a daffodil’. Dell has been the lead partner of the Irish Cancer Society on its flagship fundraiser Daffodil Day since 2011, and organised the innovative launch in order to get a new generation involved in supporting the campaign.
In addition to mentoring the students and helping them to share in the magic of coding, Dell’s team members are giving their time and skills to support Daffodil Day in a range of ways. Continuing the theme of helping young people support the campaign, Dell developed an app which facilitates people in donating on the go and tracking down their nearest daffodil seller. Technical specialists from Dell fully updated the app in advance of the campaign this year. Other skills supplied to the campaign include marketing and social media assistance, while other team members provided support with merchandise preparation.
On Daffodil Day itself, which takes place on March 11th, Dell’s team will serve as volunteer collectors in Cork, Dublin and Limerick. The company’s entire 2,300 person team in Ireland has supported the campaign in some fashion in the past five years, and 2016 – which is the final year of the official partnership – will be no different.
15,000 employee hours have been donated to the campaign, helping to raise €308,902 through some 110+ fundraisers.
“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve over the past five years of our partnership on Daffodil Day, and are looking forward to continuing that legacy on March 11th. Each year we’ve added a new element to our support – from the Daffodil Day app, through to social media support and today, where we are helping the next generation to get involved by learning how to ‘code a daffodil.’ Coding is a lot of fun to learn and it opens up a wide range of possibilities and career prospects for young people. If you can create a daffodil shape through coding, the message is, there is no limit to what else you can do. It’s a fun way to introduce children to the concept of Daffodil Day and starts the conversation about the importance of helping others in the wider community, which is something that is very much embedded in Dell’s culture,” said Denis Lucey, Vice President, Dell Support & Deployment Services and site leader at Dell’s campus in Cherrywood, Co. Dublin.
The Irish Cancer Society today expressed its appreciation for the breadth of Dell’s support over the past five years, and the role it has played in growing the reach of Daffodil Day and opening the campaign up to new audiences and platforms.
“It’s great to have a creative partner like Dell, which, with its team of 2,300, has brought a wide range of different talents and supports to Daffodil Day. That fresh input of ideas and skills has been invaluable, and comes on top of extensive volunteering support offered by the company. This is our sixth year working together and we’ve made lasting relationships with many team members which I know will continue after the official partnership is complete. We hope other companies will join Dell and support Daffodil Day to help cancer patients in their fight against cancer. Together we are focused on delivering a phenomenal Daffodil Day campaign for all those who depend on our services such as Night Nursing,” said John McCormack, CEO at the Irish Cancer Society.
Dell was supported by CoderDojo in rolling out the MegaDojo at its three sites to launch Daffodil Day. CoderDojo is a global movement of free, volunteer-led, community based programming clubs for young people.
“Through today’s Daffodil Day MegaDojo, volunteers from Dell have kick-started a coding education for dozens of young people which I have no doubt will continue into the future. Once you unlock the possibilities of coding, in this case coding a daffodil to launch Daffodil Day, a child’s curiosity and imagination takes over. Dell was one of the first companies to offer a CoderDojo club in Ireland and we are delighted to continue our relationship,” said Mary Moloney, CEO at CoderDojo Foundation.
