Bridging Student Talent and Community Need Through Social Innovation
Social Hackathons – United Way KFL&A
Role: Dan Hendry
Year: 2015–2020
True innovation often happens when diverse perspectives come together to solve real problems. During my time working with the Innovation Hub at St. Lawrence College, I partnered with United Way KFL&A to help design and deliver Social Hackathons—fast‑paced, collaborative events that connected student talent with pressing challenges faced by local non‑profit organizations.
These hackathons adapted the traditional, technology‑focused hackathon model to a social purpose context. Working closely with United Way, we identified community agencies facing specific barriers—ranging from communications challenges to program design and volunteer engagement—and translated those needs into clear, actionable challenges for student teams.
Photos Supplied by: Social Hackathon Final Report
My role focused on facilitation, coordination, and support. I helped shape the overall structure of each event, ensuring that participating agencies could clearly articulate their challenges and that students had the right tools, timelines, and guidance to respond effectively. I worked closely with interdisciplinary student teams, supporting them as they moved from problem framing to solution development and, ultimately, to final presentations.
A key priority throughout the process was ensuring that outcomes were practical and implementable. I supported teams as they refined their ideas into concepts that community organizations could realistically adopt—whether that meant new outreach strategies, improvements to service delivery, or creative digital tools. In turn, agencies gained access to focused problem‑solving capacity that would typically be out of reach given limited time and resources.
Photos Supplied by: Social Hackathon Final Report
The Social Hackathons demonstrated the power of shared purpose. Students gained meaningful, real‑world experience applying their skills to community challenges, while local organizations left with fresh perspectives and tangible next steps. For me, this work reinforced how effective experiential learning can be when it is grounded in genuine community need and supported by strong cross‑sector partnerships.
Related Links: Social Hackathons Summary_Final