Saluting the Spirit of Volunteerism That Made CommunITy Day a Success

David Samuelson
Author: David Samuelson, ISACA CEO
Date Published: 17 October 2019

On ISACA’s first CommunITy Day on 5 October, 2019 – a day in which our global professional community came together over one day to volunteer in their local communities – the passion, creativity and industriousness of ISACA’s professional community was on full display.

It started with a simple idea: the suggestion of a day of giving across the globe in which ISACA’s rich legacy of volunteerism can help every local community. Be careful what you ask for.

All around the globe, ISACA members, staff and, in many cases, their families, banded together and gave their time and talent to strengthen their communities and improve people’s lives. While statistics alone cannot fully convey the day’s value, the participation of 90 volunteer teams, representing 49 countries and contributing more than 6,000 volunteer hours, provides a sense of how much was accomplished and a benchmark for continued growth. A few of the social images from the day are included with this post, but I encourage you to visit the ISACA CommunITy Day Impact page on Engage for a more extensive recap of the day’s many triumphs.

Below are just a handful of examples:

  • In Hong Kong, ISACA members used their tech skills to give a smartphone tutorial to seniors.
  • In Luxembourg, an ISACA group came together to crowdsource historical transcripts and learn about digital safety.
  • ISACA members in Melbourne gave blood and volunteered at the Australian Red Cross blood drive.
  • In Kenya, members supplied donations and helped with clean-up at Heritage of Faith & Hope Children’s Home, a school for needy children. Interestingly enough, a newborn calf at Heritage (pictured) was named “ISACA,” in honor of the volunteer effort during CommunITy Day.
  • ISACA members in Atlanta, Georgia (US) joined the 1 Million Meal Pack initiative with the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team to pack healthy meals for children and families in need.
  • In Valencia, Spain, ISACA members gathered to do a beach clean-up and promote environmental awareness.

CommunITy Day
CommunITy Day
CommunITy Day

Whether through advancing digital transformation, diligently protecting customer data or otherwise enabling secure and effective implementation of technology, ISACA’s professional community makes a major difference for our enterprises every day. As important as our professional community’s work is – and in our world, it becomes more important with each passing day – this can-do spirit and desire to make a difference is not limited to our professional roles. The resourceful characteristics that allow ISACA community members to thrive in our jobs, and the volunteer spirit that is evident every day as part of ISACA, has easily translated to making meaningful contributions in the communities in which we live and in our personal lives.

On our inaugural CommunITy Day, ISACA’s professional community and staff pulled together to make an especially profound impact, one we should all be proud of, and that can serve as a reminder of the remarkable potential of ISACA’s global network to be a powerful force for good in the world.