Our Communities

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.