With the warm glow of Dreamforce seemingly fading away, and thoughts already shifting to next year, to say we were surprised when we saw this would be an understatement.

We were simply blown away when our good friend and Salesforce Foundation customer, Paul Whinnery from Citywise Education (an amazing not-for-profit organisation) wrote to us to share a poem he had written after returning from this year's Dreamforce conference.

Paul was one of the many customers who travelled from Europe to attend the conference in San Francisco, and I think it's fair to say he found tremendous value in the trip. 

It was too good not to share, so here it is. 

Living the Dreamforce

For Muslims it’s to Mecca, for Christians it’s to Rome.

For people forced to foreign lands it’s simply to get home.

But entrepreneurs and techies steer a very different course,

They are pilgrims of technology, and their homeland is Dreamforce.

You’ll find every country in the world proudly represented,

Every colour, code and creed, the sane and those demented.

Descend upon the San Fran bay to Moscone that’s now a shroud,

To all those dedicated to the worship of the cloud.

There’s demos with impassioned prose, and packed lunches for all,

Discounts, freebees and a smile behind each mounted stall.

The greatest minds and the biggest hearts sharing their creations,

Proud entrepreneurs representing their companies and their nations.

The keynotes are the highlights, speakers mesmerise the crowd,

Unveiling Wave and Lightning, the new babies of the cloud.

Who could have imagined Coca-Cola delivered by a drone,

Or a demonstration on how to run a business from your phone.

But by far the most important hub of skill and innovation

Is the zone that thrives on giving back, the esteemed Salesforce Foundation.

Be moved and stirred by NGO’s and the work that they have done,

And see how Salesforce stands side by side in battles fought and won.

I went to Dreamforce to tell the world that here in Citywise,

We treasure Salesforce, but for reasons that may come as some surprise.

Their technology and their funding have enhanced us through the years,

But the greatest impact that Salesforce has made is through its volunteers.

Our walls are filled with photos of events that draw a smile,

Of volunteers in that moment when they find their inner child.

Moments of unbridled joy that you only get from giving,

When you’re part of something bigger, when you know you’re truly living.

Citywise has more work to do, in fact we’re only getting started,

We’re on the track to change the world and the train has just departed.

Dreamforce lit the spark of social responsibility,

So become a Citywise volunteer, be the best that you can be.

Many heart-felt thanks to Paul for this. Please do check out the Citywise Education Facebook page to find out more about the wonderful work this chairty perform. 

Citywise is a not-for-profit organisation which was set up to run education, sporting and personal development programmes. It began in 1991 in Dublin as a response to educational under-achievement of young people living in difficult city backgrounds and was formally established in 1994.

Over the past fifteen years it has gradually developed a range of supports for young people in Southhill, Limerick; in Ballymun, in Jobstown, in Ballynacargy, Westmeath and in Belfast.