This weekend I got myself out of my routine and went to a hackathon. My teammates and I built an app that focused on a social issue in India that domestic service workers experience because of the lack of a regulatory environment. (Mostly) female workers need safe work, close to home, that has vetted the potential employer, so they can avoid being abused and insure they are properly paid.

Our app created a UI to capture user information; including location, to show where available workers are in real time and match them with employers that need them. The idea came from our team leader Mani, who is from India. The freshness and sincerity of her idea was enough to make the whole event worth my while.

The team consisted of three more people: Tangy Frederick, Anna Taqueti and Steve Barnes. Tangy, also a coder, worked tirelessly through the night to make the app come together. Anna is learning about development and gave the group constant fresh eyes on everything. Steve took the role of PM and created a presentation that would knock anyone's socks off! Truly a team effort.

Our team didn't win on Sunday. We won something this weekend however, that goes way beyond Sunday. We supported each other and shared our experience freely. I personally learned how rewarding it is to help another woman developer when she reaches out to me.

We shine together. Ann Friedman is a writer who coined the Shine Theory. (To paraphrase with too much brevity) When I help you shine, I shine, too. I encourage everyone to try it. Its a lot like love; the more you give it away, the more you get.