Rack Gives Back: Fanatically Supporting the communities in which we live, work and play
One of the perks about working for Rackspace is that I know I’m spending my time and energy at a company that cares for the community. Our team, Community Affairs, manages our city relationships and our non-profit relationships. We are focused on three areas: Rack Gives Back charitable giving, Rack Gives Back corps of Racker volunteers, and the Rackspace Foundation, which exclusively supports seven schools in the Roosevelt High School cluster. We call them the “Magnificent Seven” and we support them because we believe in the potential that can come of partnering with the schools in our neighborhood.
What else does Rackspace support?
We generally focus on four areas when it comes to Rack Gives Back charitable giving: arts & culture, education, technology and general community development. Why do we focus on these areas?
- Arts & Culture: We ask Rackers to think creatively every day. We challenge them to innovate, to be resourceful, and to create an experience like none other for our customers. Creativity is a talent that must be cultivated. Building a culture of creativity takes explicit focus. This is important to San Antonio, and it’s important to Rackspace.
- Education: A great education can elevate an entire community. We believe in the transformative value of education -and we walk the walk.
- Technology: As an IT company, we encourage the organizations we work with to focus on their core business, not wrestle with outdated systems. We are the world’s leading specialist in hosting and cloud computing. We believe non-profits deserve to have nimble, efficient IT solutions that help them do great work in our community.
- Community Development: We are headquartered in San Antonio, and we believe in the greatness of our city. Not only do we want to develop our local pool of talent, we also want to make San Antonio even more desirable for locals, for Rackers, and for the companies who do business in our city – now and in the future.
2010 Stats:
Rack Gives Back Charitable Giving
- $264,376 given out in program grants
- 18 non-profits given in-kind hosting services
- $44,626 to support Rack Gives Back service projects
The Rackspace Foundation
- $404,734 donated to the Magnificent Seven
- “The Magnificent Seven” schools in the Roosevelt cluster: Roosevelt HS, Krueger MS, Ed White MS, Windcrest ES, Walzem ES, Montgomery ES, Camelot ES
- 10 Organizations supported in cluster schools: Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, Good Samaritan Community Centers, Say Si, Gemini Ink, City Year, Communities in Schools, San Antonio Education Partnership, Windcrest Literacy Academy, Family Chess & After School Chess at the Molly Pruitt/Roosevelt HS library, Parent Academy
- 241 Rackers designating the Rackspace Foundation as a payroll deduction
Rackers in the Community
- 892 volunteer/service hours
- Service projects including the Girls Inc. Science Festival, Witte Museum Science Day, Children’s Bereavement Center, Adopt-a-School, Thanksgiving Food Drive and Toys for Tots toy drive
- Approximately 50 Rackers holding positions on boards, committees and other organizations
Way to go, Rackers!
Cara Nichols serves as Community Affairs Director for Rackspace Hosting and President of the Rackspace Foundation. She oversees Rackspace’s charitable giving and corps of volunteers, as well as manages the company’s non-profit and city relationships.
Cara was previously Editor-in-Chief of C San Antonio magazine, a local high-end lifestyle and culture publication. She also spent several years teaching in both North East ISD and Floresville ISD. Cara has a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas at Austin.
Photo Credit: “rack gives back” by katybate
