At Abt, our values and mission mean we care about humanitarian crises wherever they may occur as well as our neighbors closer to home. We make donations of money for disaster relief and donate our time, working with service organizations in our communities. It’s part of our culture and who we are. Over the past year, Abt continued existing partnerships with organizations and established new ones that we hope to continue.
Empowering Futures- Total Giving FY 24
Every year, Abt makes financial contributions to organizations that share our vision and values. Last year we donated $200,000 to three dozen organizations from local organizations dealing with homelessness to disaster relief organizations tackling the fallout from the wildfires in Hawaii.
Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief
In 2023, hurricane force winds and wildfires devastated much of western Maui. In an all-too-common example of environmental injustice, the fire disproportionately affected Indigenous Hawaiian people, low-income families, people experiencing homelessness, and communities of color. Abt Community Connections made $10,000 in contributions—and encouraged staff to add to the total—to two organizations, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Hawaiʻi People’s Fund, that are playing pivotal roles in providing community-focused aid to those in need by, as X put it, “upending and healing systems of oppression.”
We also contributed $10,000 to organizations addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including World Central Kitchen, which works in Israel, Gaza, and neighboring countries to help the flow of refugees. We also donated to the International Committee for Red Cross, which works in the region.
Serving to Make an Impact
To connect with our communities, we strive to organize local volunteer opportunities for staff in the places where we work and live. To be inclusive, we also identify virtual volunteering opportunities that are accessible for all staff. Our volunteer activities include:
Miriam’s Kitchen (MK)
In the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia region, we maintained our close ties with MK, which provides meals and other support for those experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. While we help at MK’s facilities with meal shifts, garden events, and other activities, this year the group came to Rockville, where it led Abt staff in making fleece blankets for both current MK guests and those who may be able to benefit from the organization’s services in the future. Warm blankets are essential for the cold winter months.
And Sydne Garcia (Internal Communications) and Bettina Burgett (VP IT Enterprise Platforms) joined the annual Run for MK, which raised over $80K.
Finally, to support their local outreach and advocacy, we sought to elevate the perspectives of their clients and staff, and trends they are seeing in the changing demographics of DC’s unsheltered population, in a first joint feature report and podcast with an Abt Community Connections partner.
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) strives to prevent homelessness and create "lasting solutions for families, children, and individuals who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness throughout Colorado." Four Abt staff members joined CCH to assemble 300 hygiene kits, learn about its program, and get a tour of its site. Volunteers formed a relationship with the staff and plan to engage in future CCH volunteer projects. We’re told the hygiene kits have already received rave reviews from CCH clients!
Wrapping Gifts with Sasha Bruce Youthwork
Our staff volunteered with Sasha Bruce Youthwork, one of the largest and most experienced providers of services to youth in Washington, D.C., and wrapped gifts for its program participants at a gift-wrapping party! Every young person at Sasha Bruce Youthwork received a holiday gift this season, and we were proud to support this effort.
Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD)
For 40 years, UMD has been a vital part of the Durham community and is the city’s primary public shelter, serving three meals a day 365 days a year to anyone in need of food. Several Abt staff volunteer on a quarterly basis to serve breakfast and pack lunches for community members in need.
Women of N Street Village
Emerging Leaders, Abt’s young professionals networking group, is partnering with N Street Village to offer career and professional support. N Street Village is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that "supports women experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., by offering a broad spectrum of services, housing, and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect."
Sweep the Hooch
Staff in our Atlanta office supported Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s annual event, Sweep the Hooch, a watershed-wide trash cleanup that brings together hundreds of volunteers each year at dozens of parks, tributaries, and access points along the Chattahoochee River.
On the Rise
At least 15 Abt staff members participated in a partnership with On the Rise, an organization based in Cambridge, MA, whose work begins with those experiencing homelessness and continues if and when they secure housing. Abt employees hold volunteer sessions at the On the Rise facility at least once a month and often organize the clothing closet and process donations to the closet. We plan to hold a moving home drive in the coming year to help those transitioning out of homelessness furnish their new home with essential items.
Dreaming out Loud
Nine Abt volunteers supported Dreaming out Loud’s mission of “creating economic opportunities for the DC metro region’s marginalized communities through building a healthy, equitable food system.” Volunteers learned about the organization’s work before helping with farm maintenance tasks and helped distribute food to low-income families around Thanksgiving. We are continuing our partnership into the coming fiscal year, will have multiple volunteer sessions, and will sponsor Dream out Loud’s spring festival.
DC Center for the LGBTQIA+community
Seven Abt staffers worked with the DC Center, which “educates, empowers, celebrates, and connects the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.” The volunteers assembled safe sex kits, organized the clothing closet, and cleaned the facility at an event held in partnership with PRISM, Abt’s Employee Networking Group for LGBTQIA+ staff.
Race for Every Child/Children’s National Hospital
Three staff members ran in and fundraised for Race for Every Child, a 5k that supports Children’s National Hospital. They raised a total of $855.
Mystic River Watershed Association
Six Abt volunteers removed 76 laundry basket containers of invasive water chestnuts from the Mystic River in Massachusetts.
Service Never Sleeps
Two Abt fellows participated in Service Never Sleeps fellowship program, a 10-month, part-time service program that places young professionals with local nonprofits in the DC metro area for targeted skills-based volunteer work. The fellowship fosters “issue-oriented allies and dynamic leaders of tomorrow through leadership training and race equity development, as Fellows engage in meaningful projects with organizations at the community level.” Organizations receive 100 hours of volunteer service to expand and enhance their impact. A new fellow, Lily Siems, has started a fellowship.
Pro Bono Project of the Year
Our partner organization for the FY '24 Pro Bono Consulting Project was The Women's Collective, a Washington, D.C.,-based organization that supports women who are HIV positive or at risk of becoming HIV positive. The Women's Collective has a 30-year record of providing culturally informed services, community engagement, partnership, health education, and advocacy for women. Our team created health communications materials to support the collective’s efforts to promote its pre-exposure prophylaxis education and outreach program to expand services to women at risk of or living with HIV or AIDS. The Abt team includes Project Director Brianne James, a program management officer (PMO) in the Global Development Delivery practice; Health Research Monitoring and Evaluation Associate Jini Etolue, a senior analyst; PMO Elyse Echegaray, project coordinator on the Local Healthy System Sustainability Project; and PMO Oyinkansola Oladapo, a program management analyst based in Asia.