CodeVA is a small nonprofit computer science education advocacy and training organization that punches above its weight in terms of its impact. But for our first three years, our web presence looked positively punch drunk. A lack of staff time and resources meant our website - a necessary function for us for everything from public messaging and awareness to teacher training registration to kid summer camp registration - looked like this computer science education needed to go back to school. As much as we wanted to take a pause to make our digital front face to the world look pretty and professional, we simply could not - we were busy changing state laws, training thousands of teachers and giving thousands of students their first positive exposure to computer science and coding.
COLAB literally rescued us from our own success. They arrived at the right time. Their founder Eddie O'Leary took a personal interest in CodeVA, and his staff did the same. They worked closely with our staff. CodeVA is a lifelong learning organization, and COLAB took that priority to heart when CodeVA asked if we could assign our VCU School of Engineering intern as the project manager so he could gain important career experience working as the client on a project like this one.
What CodeVA got was an attractive and inviting website that deftly navigates between the three key functions of CodeVA, allowing us to address our multiple unique audiences - teachers/school divisions, parents/children, and state policymakers/corporate leadership.
Thanks, COLAB and Eddie O'Leary, for all of your help. You have been a key part of our success.