Exactly one year ago, Hurricane Sandy decimated the East Coast – taking lives and affecting thousands of people. Relief poured in from across the country, and a revolutionary donation-via-text technology made a big impact with a small gesture.

The Daily Beast sat down with AT&T’s Marian Croak — who invented the text-to-donate technology during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — after she won the 2013 Thomas Edison Patent Award. Marian developed and patented the system, and made the technology free for organizations like the Red Cross to use without licensing and fees.

Read The Daily Beast Interview to learn how Marian Croak used technology to harness emotion, make it simple, and help others along the way.

like 0I found this story helpful