Be What You Want to See

This post is a part of a series showcasing Silicon Valley organizations that champion positive change in our community.

Help this organization win an Xbox package by clicking the ‘like’ button!

Hands on Bay Area, or HOBA, makes change happen. The nonprofit exists to help other Bay Area nonprofits fulfill their missions by providing volunteers and project coordination for large-scale volunteer needs. In this way, and in Executive Director Lour Reda’s own words, HOBA enables its volunteers and the nonprofits it serves to "be the change you wish to see in your community."

According to Reda, homelessness is rampant in the Valley, and this social issue is the focus of many of HOBA’s volunteer projects.  In this motivational clip, HOBA volunteers are seen building "comfort kits" on behalf of Community Services Agency, nonprofit benefiting individuals and families living in local homeless shelters. This activity is just one of hundreds of HOBA projects that are made successful by the active, hands-on, honorable work of community volunteers.

While individual volunteers are invaluable, HOBA believes that companies do – and should – play a leading role in community volunteerism.  We at Microsoft agree. Microsoft has a local presence in cities that span the globe, and our employees actively give back to these communities in which they live and work. HOBA’s take-charge approach to community improvement inspires us to do even more. How can you be "hands on" in your community? One way is to show support for nonprofits like HOBA by "liking" this video clip and encouraging members of your social network to also "like" it. Doing so will increase HOBA’s chance at winning the Microsoft Video Challenge.