Avionte Hope Foundation, 2013 Highlights

The Avionte Hope Foundation (AHF) was launched in 2012 with a simple mission; the Foundation was created as a way for Avionte Staffing Software employees to become more involved in supporting charities and organizations through fundraising and volunteer initiatives. Since then, employees at Avionte have been able to make a significant impact within the local community and the community of Kathmandu, Nepal, where many our Avionte Nepal team is based.

I’m a member of the Avionté Hope Foundation committee, which meets bi-weekly to plan in-office fundraisers, find ways to present and organize volunteer opportunities, and distribute AHF donations. It’s been so great to see how the Foundation has not only impacted our local community and Nepal, but also Avionte’s employees this year. After volunteering through AHF, many of our employees have gone on to form lasting connections with the individuals and organizations they’ve worked with. And that’s what the AHF is all about.

“For the Avionte Hope Foundation, 2013 was the year of involvement, from both the organization and the employees of Avionte. By being more active than ever in the community, I believe we are able to have a substantial impact, and I can’t wait to do even more in 2014!” – Derek Beumer, software developer at Avionte

In 2013, the Foundation donated close to 33,000 to individuals, organizations and charitable events within the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area and gave over $3,600 towards non-profit initiatives in and near Kathmandu, Nepal. More than $4,000 of that came from our employees and was contributed voluntary through payroll deductions, monthly fundraiser participation and out-of-pocket. Furthermore, this year our employees spend a total of 121 days volunteering throughout the community, made possible because of Avionté’s Hope Day program.

“My favorite part of being part of AHF has been the ability to reach out to a variety of organizations to help. I truly enjoy learning about other organizations and knowing that what we do makes a difference in our community.” – Dana Olson, account manager at Avionte

There were so many great moments, throughout the year, but here are some of the highlights:

• In January, the Avionté Hope committee created and launched the Avionte Hope website, which features blog posts about our fundraisers, donations and volunteer efforts.
• In early May, members of Avionté’s Support team alternated volunteer time slots and spent two weeks helping out at the Ascension Place, a transitional housing program for women.

“My first Hope Days were spent at the Ascension Place, where we cooked meals for the residents. This was the first of many rewarding experiences through AHF.” – Jared Jensen, support specialist at Avionte

• In late June, Avionte participated again in the 5k Warrior Dash and raised the money with in-office fundraisers. The Dash benefited the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
• In August, the Avionte Hope Foundation received an Honorable Mention from the American Staffing Association (ASA), which recognizes the social responsibility initiatives of members.
• In late September, a group of Avionté employees braved the high temperatures by spending a day (or more) helping to build a home through Habitat for Humanity’s workcamp program.

“I think AHF’s biggest accomplishment in general this year was the large upswing in employee volunteering. My favorite was seeing everyone work together for the Habitat for Humanity build.” – Alec Hedlund, support specialist at Avionte

• In October, the CEO of Avionté added $8,000 to the AHF budget for committee members to donate to the charities of their choice. We split the donation four ways.
• An AHF challenge took place throughout October, which provided the names of 10 local chairties close to our employee’s hearts. We donated $6,920 in total to the submitted organizations.
• In December, AHF donated $2,500 to the KDWB Christmas Wish program. The radio station gives clothing, food, car repairs and more to local families throughout the Holiday season.
• An initative which we called “You’ve Been Aviontéd”, took place in mid-December. Throughout a workday, teams of employees went out into the community to give a total of $50 to 20 hard workers who were facing hardship over the Holiday season.

To read more about any of these donations/experiences, go to the “Our Stories” section of the Avionte Hope website.

We’re excited to see what we’re able to do through the Avionte Hope Foundation in the coming year. Thank you to Avionte employees and Hope committe members Derek Beumer, Alec Hedlund, Dana Olson and Jared Jensen for all of your work with AHF this year, and to the partners for making the Avionte Hope Foundation a possibility. I’m so glad I was able to have been a part of it all. Here’s to 2014!