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Posted by Cara Kretz, Sr. Manager, Travel

In the spirit of giving, we wanted to take a moment to reflect upon some of the charitable efforts our Boston Googlers have made over this past year.

• Provided local grants to MIT’s MITES and MOSTEC programs, Science from Scientists, CodeEd, Breakthrough Cambridge, Digits, Citizen Schools, hack/reduce and many more 
• Over 220 Boston Googlers joined more than 5,000 Googlers across the globe to give back to our local communities during the week of GoogleServe 2012 
• Hosted over 1,000 K-12 and university students for tours of the office, and to learn about computer science and online marketing careers 
• Donated time and talents to train 366 nonprofits on Google tools for nonprofits, 70 teachers on Google EDU tools and 701 small-medium business on Google small business tools. Check back here for future local training events 
• Trained more than 75 Boston senior citizens on basic internet tools, search and email through our Age Engage program 
• Donated time and talents to more than 130 students from Boston Public middle schools, through our partnership with Citizen Schools 
• Raised over $8,600 and collected 240 non-perishable items for the Greater Boston Food Bank 
• Raised funds to help care for local Boston women and children at Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for women in need 
• Hosted Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute, a three-week program that boosts the computer science skills of 30 rising college freshmen from underrepresented backgrounds 
• Partnered with the Community Charter School of Cambridge and the Kendall Square Association to host a Third Thursday event for the Kendall Square community 
• Delivered meals to the critically ill and homebound through the annual Thanksgiving Pie in the Sky fundraising event 
• Donated more than $2,000 to New York Cares to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, by selling hundreds of shirts across multiple Google offices 
• Donated over 80 gifts to families in need through our annual ABCD Headstart gift drive 
• Assembled Thanksgiving baskets for the East End House, which delivered over 850 baskets to needy families in the Massachusetts area 

While this represents only a small portion of the charitable efforts made by Googlers around the world, we wanted to acknowledge the kind hearts and minds of our Boston-based team!

You can find out more about the global grants and Global Impact Awards we host on the Google Giving page and the Official Google Blog.

Posted by Liz Schwab, Cambridge Community Affairs Lead

Each year Googlers across the globe participate in GoogleServe, in an effort to give back to the communities that help us grow and thrive. This year GoogleServe took place between June 8-15, with more than 5000 Googlers across the globe participating in 350+ projects. We also expanded the program to include skill based projects like analytics support, resume workshops and scientific training that will give our employees a chance help individuals and corporations year round.

Cambridge based Googlers came out in full force. More than 200+ Googlers participated in 24 projects, covering a wide range of needs in the greater Boston area. Projects took place from Concord to Cambridge, Belmont to Boston and further afield, at great organizations like Mass Audubon, EMARC, Gaining Ground Organic Farm, Greater Boston Food Bank and more.

Feedback from recipients and the Cambridge Googlers who participated was enthusiastic. Adam, who attended our ‘Help a Hero Get Hired’ resume workshop, said “I appreciate the time you took to help me on Friday. In 90 minutes working with you, my resume improved more than it had in a week long class... It's nice to know that there are people like you and companies like Google.”

Elizabeth Mills, one of the Google volunteer site leads, said "I loved leading our GoogleServe project at the Women’s Lunch Place because we provided extra hands for an organization that helps women in Boston, no questions asked, day in and day out. We couldn't believe the scope of the services this organization offered and were thankful both to be able to give back and learn more about such a great non-profit."

GoogleServe really gives us a chance to revitalize and deepen our connections with the local communities where we work -- and it also helps us build a stronger sense of community with our fellow Googlers. Check out some of the pics from our projects across the globe on the GoogleServe Google+ page.

Posted by Jonah Berman, Account Executive, Online Sales | GoogleServe Boston Site Lead

Each year we interview our QPX™ pricing and shopping customers to find out what we do well and where we need to improve. Since we started the survey in 2007, we’ve seen satisfaction with our products and service climb. We were especially pleased that this year’s survey yielded strong results. 100% of participants were somewhat or very satisfied with our QPX pricing and shopping products, and 96% were somewhat or very satisfied with the service we provide. One customer said that while there is always room for improvement, the service gets better every year -- from the engineers to the technical support staff to the customer-facing team.

While it’s great to hear the positive feedback, the real value is in what we do with the suggestions for improvement. Our internal teams look forward to hearing the survey results and are focused on coming up with creative solutions to address any suggestions identified by our customers.

My hat’s off to all the teams that focus on making our products even better and giving our customers the tremendous support that keeps them so happy. We’re committed to listening to what our customers want and partnering with them to make them successful. I think that’s what makes these relationships so strong.

Posted by Eli Sanders, Director, Technical Account Management and Customer Support

In the spirit of giving, we wanted to take a moment to reflect upon some of the good deeds our Boston Googlers have done over this past year.

• Held a bone marrow registration drive with the Gift of Life 
• Hosted a charity drive to benefit Japan earthquake and tsunami relief efforts 
• Designated a week to GoogleServe where Boston Googlers joined 8,000 Googlers company-wide to do good in our local communities 
• Provided national grants to MIT’s OEOP MITES program, to the Boston Museum of Science and to Citizen Schools 
• Collected non-perishables, and donated time and money to the Greater Boston Food Bank 
• Worked with Bikes not Bombs to promote the use of bicycle technology as an alternative to war and environmental destruction 
• Worked with the Charles River Conservancy to help keep the Charles River clean 
• Fed our veterans at the New England Center for Homeless Veterans 
• Educated kids on the math behind the Rubik’s Cube at the Cambridge Science Festival 
• Sponsored the MIT KBPS, a music and engineering student organization that restores, documents and maintains the musical installation/sculpture at the Kendall T stop 
• Raised funds to help care for local Boston women and children at Rosie’s Place 
• Delivered meals to the critically ill and homebound through the annual Thanksgiving Pie in the Sky fundraising event 
• Donated time and talents to Citizen Schools 
• Launched Age Engage where Boston Googlers trained Boston seniors on Internet search and email. Watch the Age Engage Google Ireland video to learn more about this program 

While this represents only a small portion of the charitable efforts made by Googlers around the world, we wanted to acknowledge the kind hearts and minds of our Boston-based team! You can find out more about Google giving in 2011 on the Official Google Blog.

Posted by Sarah McManus, HR Business Partner

It’s official. The ITA Software by Google Blog is now the only place you need to check for all ITA news.

Starting today, this blog will be our primary source for making customer and product announcements, providing company updates, offering guest essays, and giving you unique tips from our experts. So if you’re curious about ITA Software -- please check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Posted by Cara Kretz, Sr. Manager, Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, Travel