Laura and Michael Wolter, owners of Cyber Niche Software are among a new generation of business owners who not only have their own businesses to care for, but also still have day jobs, care for families, and still manage to find time to volunteer to give back to their communities, as Americans have done for generations. But these new entrepreneurs do their volunteering through their business, in a professional gifts-in- kind capacity as opposed to personal contributions to bake sales or working on major fund-raising events through civic groups, as prior generations were inclined to do. Like many of today's professionals, they march to a different drummer, and this is a way to keep pace and meet all their obligations, while still contributing something of value to the community.

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A Small Business With Heart . . .

Giving Back Professionally

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That becomes increasingly obvious in the 21 century as the face of America changes, but its heart and soul remain the same.

Americans have evolved rapidly throughout their relatively short past -- from brave independent colonists carving a new homeland from the wilderness, to today's powerful leaders of a technology-driven world. But throughout the transition, we remember this: the poor will always be with us . . . and the sick, the elderly, the homeless, the disabled . . . all people who need and will always need the helping hands of volunteers. But whose hands? As generous a people as Americans tend to be, modern time demands have seriously cut into our free time. We work longer than ever in all age groups, from high school students to senior citizens way past retirement age. True to history though, American volunteerism is re-inventing itself to meet the challenge. While not every technology-based business owner has Bill Gates' billions to fund a charitable foundation, even small entrepreneurs can and are reaching out to help.

"I knew I could give them something extremely practical and valuable, and I was happy to have a chance to give back to the same types of people who helped me and my family when we needed it, says Laura. There had been previous attempts to get Easter Seals' information to the public online that had resulted in two different incomplete sites, four different site (domain) names, and two different site hosting services. By reorganizing and pulling things together for them in one user-friendly site that would be easily found in search engines, it's not only making it possible for people in need to find help easily; but it's also saving Easter Seals literally hundreds of a dollars a year in hosting fees. And my own personal goal for the site has also been realized – to make it a 'Bobby Approved' site, which means it's been designated as accessible to as many people as possible, including web surfers who use reading software or are visually impaired. Obviously then, the Wolters are among a new generation of volunteers who offer skills that only technology professionals can offer."

Easter Seals South Central PA spokesperson, Debbie Noel, who worked closely with Laura on the project is openly pleased with the result of this volunteer effort. It's fantastic! Laura has done a wonderful job in putting this together. It really is an interesting site to visit, and I thank her sincerely from the bottom of my heart." Noel, who found herself revisiting the new site again the other day just for fun, says she's eager to start promoting their new resource, and would recommend the Wolters' services to anyone. And that say the Wolters, while it shouldn't be the prime reason for volunteering your professional skills, certainly makes up for any hours that companies spend on volunteer projects. Referrals are the lifeblood of small family-owned businesses, and says Laura, "the Easter Seals South Central PA web site is now also a valuable addition to my own web development portfolio."