Avnet Honored with 2021 Volunteerism Award and October 100 Acts of Giving Recipients Announced

10/22/2021

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The Phoenix Business Journal recently awarded Avnet and its Avnet Cares program the Corporate Philanthropy 2021 Volunteerism Award for mid-sized companies. In the award article, Avnet was noted for providing employees paid time off to volunteer, matching employee volunteer hours with a donation to the nonprofit they are volunteering with and providing matching gifts for drives and fundraisers led by employees.

In addition, Avnet's 100 Acts of Giving was called out. This is a special programcelebrating employees' volunteer efforts during its 100^th anniversary year. As part of this campaign, Avnet will donate $1,000 (USD) to 100 eligible nonprofits/NGOs globally for a total of $100,000. These 100 nonprofits are identified from volunteer stories that Avnet employees share describing their efforts.

The October recipients of the 100 Acts of Giving grants are listed below.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)- www.aspca.org - The ASPCA works to keep more animals in loving homes by protecting them from harmful situations through community engagement, preventative action and providing resources and care when needed. For over 150 years, the ASPCA has worked tirelessly to put an end to animal abuse and neglect. They are a national leader in the United States in animal rescue, protection and placement.

Bless Your Heart- [email protected]- The mission of Bless Your Heart is to enrich lives and inspire hope by addressing social, educational and financial needs in the Bayou Region of Louisiana. Avnet employee Yvette Jambon submitted the organization because the area has been hit repeatedly by hurricanes and needs the support. "These are my people, my blood, I will support them anyway I can, no matter where I live. I moved my mom, to Michigan after hurricane Katrina' hit them hard. And now they are dealing with the aftermath of hurricane Ida."

The Children's Center- https://childrenscenterutah.org/- The Children's Center (in Salt Lake City, Utah) provides comprehensive mental health care to enhance the emotional well-being of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. The Children's Center is the recognized local expert in treating trauma and attachment challenges for children under seven. The employee who submitted this nonprofit supports this organization through their virtual fundraising efforts. "They do great work for the community," the employee said.

Days for Girls- https://www.daysforgirls.org/- Days for Girls provides reusable feminine hygiene kits to school-age girls in developing countries where supplies are limited or unavailable. Since almost all the components cannot be purchased, these kits are made with thousands of volunteer hours to construct them according to a standardized pattern and assemble the pieces using materials donated or purchased by the local chapters. "I work with one in Tempe, AZ," said employee Karen Hamacher, who submitted the organization. "I have sewn hundreds of fabric bags and made some of the other components as well. It takes a lot of money to buy fabric, waterproof lining, snaps, drawstrings, underwear, washcloths, soap, etc. Any contribution to this worthy cause is so appreciated and will change the lives of many girls as they acquire life skills and education to shape their future."

Feed My Starving Children- https://www.fmsc.org/This organization is located in Mesa, Arizona and is a favorite volunteer place of Avnet employees. The mission of Feed My Starving Children is to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world.

The Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund- https://gdmaf.org- Avnet employee Greg Wallace has been working with this organization for more than 15 years in Dallas, Texas. "I am known as the 'tech guy' in the organization managing our payment platforms, social media accounts, and event management systems. We process financial assistance requests from our partnered client services organizations with a grant from Salesforce Foundation allowing us to use their workflow technology. This past year has been a challenge as we learn new technologies to raise money with remote online events. Our mission is to help those in need living with HIV/AIDS. While members of the LGBT community are often identified as the target of this pandemic, we have found many people in all walks of life including children are impacted by HIV/AIDS," said Wallace.

Honoring America's Veterans (HAV)- www.honoringamericasveterans.org- Avnet employee Christa Page, who submitted this organization, is an elected officer serving in the role of secretary for the nonprofit. HAV is the presenting sponsor of the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade, the state's largest attended Veterans Day event, which is also recognized as a regional site for Veterans Day by the President and Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "I joined the board about five months ago and attend monthly meetings where we discuss ongoing items that are needed in order to make the parade a success," Page said. "Our efforts include raising donations of more than $125,000 from community sponsors, supporting the Veterans Grand Marshal Campaign, supporting the High School Essay Competition, and supporting social media opportunities to promote the event. The parade takes place on Veterans Day each year to give thanks to those who have defended our freedom. On the day of the parade, tens of thousands gather in downtown Phoenix to celebrate and honor the veterans of our country," she explained.

Jonte Fonden- https://www.jontefonden.se/ - "My brother's son got a part of my liver nine and a half years ago. He was six months old at that time," said employee Daniel Grip. "Since then, he and his family have gotten so much support from Jonte Fonden in Swedan, everything from parent camps to a Nintendo for the kids. They bring family's together that are facing the same life changing problems and teach them to handle a transplanted kid that spends more time in a hospital than on the playground," he explained.

Matthews Crossing Foodbank- https://matthewscrossing.org/- This foodbank is located in Chandler, Arizona and its mission is to provide food and other basic necessities to neighbors in need as they work to unite the community in the fight against hunger.

Minhaij Welfare Foundation- www.minhajwelfare.org - In support of this foundation, Avnet employee Safyah Akhtar helps to organize workshops for disadvantaged youth, events for the community and the environment, and contributes her skills for projects on poverty alleviation in the UK and around the world. "I have taken part in challenges for charity with the foundation - like going to Tanzania with a team of other volunteers and fundraisers to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, raising funds for an orphan care home project in Pakistan. (I personally raised over £2000 for this). Another notable and unforgettable challenge for me was when I gave up tea and chocolate for one month to raise funds for the disadvantaged, I love tea and chocolate, so this was a huge success with my friends and family donating over £1000 for me to complete it," she added.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)- www.madd.org-The mission of MADD is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.

New Life Animal Rescue- www.newlifeanimalrescue.org- New Life Animal Rescue is a foster home-based rescue out of Marlton, New Jersey and founded in 2012 offering hope and healing for special needs animals. "I started volunteering in December 2012 and transport dogs and cats from the shelters to our foster homes," Said Susan Zabel who submitted the organization. "I've also conducted home visits with potential adopters. I have a special love for animals and learned about temperament testing and animal training classes. I help with fundraising and I am responsible for the bookkeeping for the organization," she added. The rescue takes in animals from various shelters, owner surrenders and other circumstances. "Many times, these animals come to us in horrific condition. We work with local veterinarians to rehabilitate the sick ones and in our foster homes with love and care, the animals go through a wonderful transformation."

Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary (PHS)- https://www.phoenixherp.com/- Employee Jaime Wallitschek submitted this organization which is in Scottsdale, Arizona. While the mission of PHS is to promote conservation and preservation of native and non-native reptiles through education, rehabilitation, rescue and relocation, they also provide an antivenom bank to save the lives of people bitten by poisonous snakes. In addition, they provide a snake hotline and classes for how to relocate undesirable reptiles from your home or property humanely. "This nonprofit cares about their community, local people, the environment, but primarily helps those reptiles and snakes in need," explained Wallitschek.

St. Mary's Food Bank- https://www.firstfoodbank.org/- St. Mary's food bank, submitted by Avnet employee Zsaber Gere, distributes food to hundreds of nonprofit partners throughout most of Arizona. These agencies include food pantries, dining halls, homeless shelters, and more. Nearly one in four children in Arizona struggle with hunger. The foodbank's Kids Cafe®, school pantry and backpack programs help to feed hungry children in the community. The Community Kitchen is a hands-on training program that teaches adults with barriers to employment to be successful in the food service industry. LIFT is a hands-on training program of the foodbank that teaches adults with barriers to employment to be successful in the warehouse & logistics industry.

Trees Matter- https://treesmatter.org/100trees- As a volunteer, Avnet employee Claudia Hernandez is working with others to raise funds for a project called the Resiliency Project. This project plants trees honoring those impacted by Covid in Phoenix. "The Trees Matter Resiliency Project was born from a desire to integrate Trees Matter's vision with a way to honor and remember those who risked their lives, fell ill, or died during the Covid-19 Pandemic," explained Hernandez. "We also want to acknowledge communities of color who have suffered disproportionately from this pandemic in terms of the disease itself, access to health care, and economic insecurity. We are planting 100 trees at Spaces of Opportunity in collaboration with the Tiger Mountain Foundation," she said.

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