Avnet is pleased to announce fifteen more “100 Acts of Giving” grant recipients, celebrating employees’ volunteer efforts during its 100th 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. Eligible nonprofits from these stories will be entered into drawings throughout Avnet’s centennial year.
The newest recipients of the 100 Acts of Giving $1,000 (USD) grant are listed below. Each of these nonprofits were chosen in an anonymous drawing in September.
A21 - A nonprofit in Santa Ana, CA focused on not only responding to human trafficking that is already taking place, but they are actively working on the frontlines to prevent it from happening. Per employee Jenny Sanchez who submitted this organization: "Stop slavery! Through force, fraud, and coercion, people [globally] are being bought and sold against their will–right now in the 21st century. This is the reality: slavery is violence. It’s physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. But slavery is more stoppable now than ever before. And that’s why A21 is here, rallying around the world and doing the work together."
Acorn Music Theatre Company – UK – Employee Lisa Rees has been a trustee for Acorn Music Theatre Company for the last six years. Acorn is an educational trust, the purpose of which is to further the education of young people in the performing arts. It provides a creative outlet for children from all backgrounds, including those with special needs. “Children are empowered to write their own scripts and music, and devise sets for theatre which they perform in unusual locations around Henley on Thames. The group has been running for over 20 years and in that time has earned a reputation for collaboration, diversity and inclusivity,” said Rees.
Andys Man Club – Halifax, UK – This charity facilitates men’s mental health support groups. The message they deliver is a very simple one - that one man dies from suicide every two hours in the UK - the single biggest killer of men under the age of 50 - and that peer-to-peer support is available throughout the UK - in the form of Monday Night Clubs - and available worldwide through remote sessions linked to the clubs. Farnell employee Stu Foster has worked with Andy's Man Club to co-host four sessions across two weeks for UK and EU staff. Two sessions were held remotely and had over 215 attendees - the third and fourth session were held face to face at the UK1 warehouse - where they reached another 80+ attendees. The events were fully inclusive and were attended equally by both men and women across the business. “The message that it is 'OK TO TALK' was a powerful one, and the video and commentary provided by Neil of Andy's Man Club, really hit home. My belief is we reached several men directly and many more indirectly through these sessions, who will thankfully choose to return home to their loved ones knowing they have access to a truly fantastic support group,” said Foster.
Ashland Education Foundation - Ashland, MA –The Ashland Education Foundation serves as the venture capital fund encouraging educators to think outside the box and provide innovative approaches to students’ education. The employee who submitted this organization works to support their STEAM center. This center will provide age-appropriate advanced computing and makerspace capabilities to their elementary population. This includes a design centric workstation, several desktop and laptop PCs, 3D Printers, coding SW & various ‘smart’ target devices – many of which have already been piloted elsewhere in the school system.
ComfortCare Women’s Health – Staunton, VA - ComfortCare Women's Health is a charitable organization that Avnet’s late employee, Anne Seaton, supported. Anne was killed tragically in an auto accident in April of 2021. Anne was involved in the support and fundraising for this organization, which is dedicated to the engagement, education, and support for women and men facing unintended pregnancies.
Computers for the Blind (CFTB) – Richardson, TX – CFTB has been around for almost 30 years, taking in donated used computers (usually laptops), erasing the hard drives, installing character-reading software, and shipping them to blind and visually challenged people all across the United States. Employee Mark Langford is a member of the board. “A blind person might not otherwise be able to afford a laptop and the character reading software (approximately $2000 value) so this service enables blind people to lead more independent lives as they can send and receive emails, balance their checkbooks, print address labels, etc. without assistance,” said Langford.
GirlVentures – Oakland, CA - GirlVentures is a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to providing social justice support, leadership training and mentorship to adolescent girls from marginalized communities (including BIPOC youth or LGBTQ+ youth) through outdoor exploration and adventure. “It’s really an awesome network and incredible resource for our community,” said the employee who submitted the organizations.
Homeward Bound – Phoenix, AZ - Homeward Bound creates pathways out of poverty for homeless families in the Valley. They are committed to keeping families together and believe in a community where every family has a home. Some of the youth programs include a healthy balance of work and play to achieve confidence and build resiliency.
ICAN – Chandler, AZ - ICAN is a no-cost, after school program which serves predominantly low-income neighborhoods with enrichment programs for youth. In the past, Avnet participated in programs with this organization including a week-long Girls Coding Camp where we would have these kids writing programs in a programming environment called Scratch on low-cost Raspberry Pi 3 computers. “It would be great if we can get more Avnet folks involved and inspire a brighter future for this new generation of technology workers,” said employee Kevin Keryk who submitted the organization.
One•n•Ten – Phoenix, AZ – One•n•Ten is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 14 to 24. “It is a great organization that helps provide a safe space for young adults to be themselves and feel accepted and get support,” said employee Claudia Hernandez who submitted the organization. “My stepbrother came out to his mom when he was a teenager and she told him he had a disease, and he could be cured. All his life he lived pretending to being someone he wasn't and attempted so many suicide attempts he finally committed suicide. I believe we all have a right to be whoever we truly are and I'm happy there are places like this to help our youth be empowered to be proud of who they are and to be accepted and learn to love themselves.”
Red Bucket Equine Rescue – “Every Sunday morning I spend about three hours mucking (shoveling manure) arenas, turn-out areas and stalls for the rescued horses and donkeys at Red Bucket in Chino Hills, CA. The work is physical and tiring, especially on hot days but the horses and donkeys are such a joy to be around and so appreciative of the volunteers. They often follow me around to inspect (or supervise) my work or to get a few extra scratches behind the ears.” -- employee Kerstin Flores who submitted the organization.
School Connect – Glendale, AZ -- School Connect builds supportive, collaborative community around schools. “I have sat on the board and volunteered for multiple events (Principal for a Day, Love Our Schools Day, Minute 2 Win It events, CAFEs & their annual School Connect Summit) with this organization,” said Jill Hicks, the employee who submitted this organization for 100 Acts of Giving.
Shedd Aquarium – Chicago, IL – “Shedd Aquarium is an amazing organization that is not only committed to aquatic animal care, but conservation, sustainability and community outreach. As a volunteer and member of Shedd’s Auxiliary Board, I’ve worked with Shedd on its initiative to spread awareness about the importance of conservation and the harms of single use plastics by getting businesses to commit to reduce their use of plastics and by cleaning up local aquatic habitats, like the Chicago River and Lake Michigan beaches. I love nature and animals so it’s a great feeling to know that by volunteering with Shedd I can make a positive impact on the environment.” – employee Rachael Sroda who submitted this organization for 100 Acts of Giving.
Via Services – Santa Clara, CA – This organization is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities and special needs achieve greater self-sufficiency and lead richer lives. Employee Mark Mazon was the co-chair of their annual fundraiser and submitted their story for the 100 Acts of Giving.
Warwick Valley Humane Society (WVHS) – Warwick, NewYork – “WVHS is a no kill shelter located in the lower Hudson Valley Area of NY. On any given day they have 10-20 dogs along with 50-100 cats. Sometimes there is even the stray goat or two. They are currently in the middle of raising funds to replace the main building that was built in the early 50's and is a shamble. I volunteer 2-3 times per week walking animals, doing lawn, building and equipment maintenance. Some animal visits are short, and some are like my shelter dog Ella who stays for years.” -- employee Joe McGoldrick, who submitted the organization.