HelpBridge is unlike any other app. It does something vital- it provides solace and peace of mind and makes us feel better. The philosophy behind the app is based on the most common reactions post a disaster. Either we need help or want to help or want to find out if people we know and love are safe. Bringing all our concerns and emotions together, is HelpBridge.
In these uncertain times, it’s good to know that we have help. Perhaps in keeping with the charity work of its founder, Microsoft has released its free mobile app, HelpBridge. The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows Phones and lets you connect with family, friends and colleagues during times of massive disaster such as hurricanes and earthquakes. If you’re a user, you can also use the app to donate money, resources and time in relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
What HelpBridge enables you to do is send emails and texts or post an emergency message right on your Facebook wall. All your communications can include your location if you so choose. You can use your phone’s GPS capabilities to do this. If you need to volunteer, you can use PayPal or text-to-give to donate money or give goods or your time to help.
How HelpBridge Helps
The app has three easy ways to help.
Volunteer
Perhaps the most essential and the most difficult thing to do, volunteering is relatively simple and possible in real-time with the app. It lists opportunities based on postings by relief agencies and you can go and be part of the entire, ennobling process.
Give
You can donate resources, be it tents, sleeping bags, pet food, gloves, clothes etc to people who’ve been affected by the disaster. Just find out where the relief agencies are situated and what they need- which you can from the app- and go help.
Donate
Send money quickly and easily to a wide range of agencies, including CARE, Global Living and the American Red Cross. Donating funds is not hard to do and a little money goes a long way. All you need is heart.
Microsoft has also collaborated with Aidmatrix, Network for Good, VolunteerMatch and the Mobile Giving Foundation to give users as much of a choice as possible when it comes to donations and volunteering.
When you look at the way the app has been constructed and what is has on offer, you realize the level of commitment and involvement that has gone into building it. Microsoft has understood the nuances of disaster response and fashioned its app accordingly. As it is the company’s global team works with governments, agencies and non-profit organizations to respond to and handle disasters as efficiently as possible. All these experiences have served Microsoft well in creating HelpBridge.
Microsoft’s Disaster Response Team uses technology to bridge the gap between those affected by catastrophes and those who want to help and now you have a chance to help too. The idea behind the app is to be prepared, rather than wait, literally, for disaster to strike and then respond or react. Hurricane Sandy was a great lesson in compassion and humanity. People wanted to help. Just like they did after Japan and Haiti. Microsoft has given users a platform to show that in a world of bad, there’s also a world of good.
Author Bio: Randy Collins likes writing articles related to Technology News, Gadget Reviews and How To. He also ocassionaly writes for buycharter.com – a site that offers savings and current information on charter internet.
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