Linux.conf.au Raises $33K for Charity

by Lisa Hoover - Feb. 09, 2010Comments (0)

The Penguin Dinner at the close of the annual linux.conf.au conference is always a demonstration of the open source community's generosity, and this year's event was no exception. This year's charity was Life Flight Trust, an ambulance/rescue helicopter service in Wellington, New Zealand. Attendees at the dinner had the opportunity to bid on the chance to take part in a training mission with Westpac Rescue Helicopter, one of the services provided by Life Flight Trust.

Donations were tracked by a custom-designed open source application and displayed to participants, who were able to submit their donations online. Over $33,000 was raised in the course of the evening, enough to provide thirteen emergency flights. More than a third of the total was donated by the conference's organizers, Linux Australia. "Free open source software is founded on generosity and these supporters have certainly taken that value to heart," said David Irving, CEO of Life Flight.

Previous conferences have raised thousands to support university computer science programs, sudden infant death syndrome research, and Tasmanian Devil preservation, among others. Donations to Life Flight are still being accepted, and can be made through FundraiseOnline.