The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo was established over twenty years ago as a home away from home for the families of children who receive medical treatment in Western New York. When a child from out of the area requires surgery or specialized care in a Buffalo hospital, their families can look to the House to provide a warm, comforting environment for families to stay.
So - what does the RMH have to do with a geek meet?
A lot, actually.
Last month, I worked with the RMH Staff (wonderful people, but definitely not geeks) to convert their Web site to use Wordpress . This software works as a content management system, allowing their staff (and me) to easily update their site with news, images and information that shows the people on the internets the wonderful work this place does.
Plans for the next few months include:
- train the staff to post regular updates and images
- generate profiles about the staff, volunteers and families of the house
- increase the House's visibility in the Buffalo region as a leader in using technology for communications
- demonstrate how nonprofits can use blogs to communicate to their respective audiences
- encourage fellow geeks to apply their programming skills to those who need it.

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve too, but I won't give them away here.