The Indiana Department of Workforce Development provides a grant that gives teachers in Indiana a very unique summer experience through the Future Workforce Connections Intern Program, and I am lucky enough to have been one of the teachers selected.

This month I am getting some intense "training" as a BitWise Solutions intern in Indianapolis. BitWise is not new to the intern experience (BitWise Fellows), but I am their first visiting teacher. The tentative schedule has me helping with the development of a Web site, participating in Web Camp classes, meeting and brainstorming with BitWise Fellows, observing all positions represented by the company to take back to our careers class, and sharing my methods of developing lesson plans. It promises to be a very interesting June. I certainly won't be an expert at any of the tasks I try or observe, but I will know a lot more about Web design than I did before!

This experience is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about the real world of Web design from start to finish, and will allow me to bring back hands-on lessons and examples to North Putnam high school classrooms this fall. The lessons I develop will be available from the Department of Education, as will lessons from all 47 interns placed around the state with various businesses.

--Patricia (Gayle) Hendrich

BitWise is more than just the projects we work on and the sites we launch. We are a team of individuals who bring a wealth of personal experience and interests with us every day. Our passions are varied and far-reaching and make us better citizens, employees and friends. When I was interviewing for the PM opening with BitWise about 18 months ago, I had a set of criteria I felt needed to be met by my new employer and position. Among the professional opportunities I needed, I sought to work with a group of people who realized the world extended beyond Web design and development and existed outside 8am-5pm.

Community Service

Over the years, BitWise and the people who work here have given time, money and talents to better the local community and serve those who need our help the most. As with many companies, we participate in holiday Adopt-a-Family campaigns, food drives, and the United Way’s Backpack Attack. We’ve also given of our professional services and knowledge individually and as an organization. What set BitWise apart in my mind was the quiet commitment of individuals to make a difference without seeking praise or recognition.

The People Make the Difference

I’ve seen Ron commit countless hours working on behalf of Ball State’s Entrepreneurship program and to lead the way on local charter school initiatives. Laura has selflessly given Saturdays and evenings to review business plans and hear presentations from Hamilton County high school students. Along with championing women in business, Nicole has worked with College Mentors for Kids, a program that pairs college students with at-risk youth for tutoring and mentorship. Tim coaches and mentors wrestlers each year at a local high school to make them not only better athletes, but better young men. The Children’s Bureau has been served repeatedly by Curt who has donated time and professional expertise to advance their mission of providing child welfare. …just to name a few.

Personally, I feel fortunate to be surrounded by so many who feel the desire to leave the world a little better than they found it. I’m inspired by the work they do and the stories they share. I feel incredibly lucky that BitWise encourages such undertakings and affords us each the time to make an impact. Over the years I’ve served on the local board and am now on the national board for Active 20-30, served on advisory boards and committees for the Girl Scouts, and have done what I can to support local foster families.

I was recently recognized for these public service works as a finalist for the Jefferson Awards [http://www.jeffersonawards.org/], which was a huge honor and a humbling experience. As I sat in the awards breakfast, surrounded by friends, co-workers, and even a client who was also a fellow nominee, it became apparent that there were some amazing people in that room who deserve an equal acknowledgment. I realized that each is responsible in some way for my ability to touch others. Whether it was BitWise allowing me time off to travel to an Active 20-30 meeting or co-workers stepping up to donate manpower and money to a project I was chairing, the sincerity of their commitment to the community is apparent. It is truly a luxury to find a company who sees the world as more than the bottom line. One that enables us to make an impact and allows us to be more than just our work.