If you thrive on black coffee, instant gratification and being “wired in,” the Education Foundation of Sarasota County’s 24–Hour Giving Challenge is for you. This year’s EFSC Giving Challenge focus is its Technology and Innovation Initiative, specifically October’s #SRQHacks Hackathon (srqhacks.com): our first–ever! Thirteen- to eighteen–year-old Sarasota County students will team up with computer programmers, designers and problem solvers to use collaborative computer programming to solve a community issue.

Visit givingpartnerchallenge.org, search for “Education Foundation of Sarasota County” and give often and generously–but only between noon on September 20 and noon on September 21. Watch the leaderboard, sponsored by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, from the comfort of your own man cave or book nook and relish in the knowledge that not only will you fund the weekend–long Hackathon, but also the ongoing tech and innovative skills students will learn through classes, continued mentorships and internships throughout the year.

New to the Giving Challenge? Perfect! Your $100 donation magically grows to $300, thanks to a 2:1 match from the Patterson Foundation. For just $100 more, you could give an eight-week coding or digital design class to a student.

Old hat? Great! Your donation up to $100 doubles. Your additional $100 provides Raspberry Pi micro–computers to eight students post–Hackathon. Last year, we exceeded our goal with a 684 percent increase over 2014. Log on to support the #SRQHacks Hackathon and the technology and Innovation Initiative. Any dollar amount will be greatly appreciated.

Giving Partner Challenge