Help Connect

Connecting those in need with organizations that care.

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Inspiration

The idea came from observing how difficult it is to find and reach organizations who actually can help. Many communities, especially rural, face challenges in communication - their urgent requests for support often remain unheard, while volunteers are actively searching for ways to contribute too. I wanted to make a simple and easily accesible bridge that makes this connection effortless.

What it does

Help Connect provides a simple way for people in need to reach out. The website displays a QR code, with which users are guided to a form where they can describe their needs, and how can others provide help. The responses can be accessed by volunteer organizations in real time in a spreadsheet connected to the form.

How we built it

  1. Website - one-page site using HTML and CSS. The website introduces the idea, explains purpose and displays the link.
  2. Google Form + Spreadsheet - simple form with questions regarding basic information like name, contact info and location and further questions about description of a problem. ## Challenges we ran into
  3. I wanted to make this as lightweight as possible and still functional. I had to think carefully about how to design something that would work for both sides - organizations and people with limited digital access.
  4. Making sure that project addressed technical aspects too. ## Accomplishments that we're proud of I am proud that I was able to build a working solution in a short timeframe.I am especially proud that Help Connect is creative, because of combining both code and google tools, and is easy to use anywhere. ## What we learned Building this project generally taught me how powerful simple tools like online forms and spreadsheets can be when combined. I also gained experience in structuring a project to fit the hackathon's theme and criteria. ## What's next for Help Connect The next step is to expand the idea to more cities and create localized versions of Help Connect. Another important step is to raise awareness - both among communities that need help and volunteer organizations who can provide it.
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