AfniCARES 2019 – A year of support
Afni is filled with caring people hungry to not only succeed in their careers but to help improve the communities where they work and live. From Tucson to Opelika to Quezon City, we are proud to be more than just an employer in the communities where we locate but to also be an active partner in improving those communities by providing financial contributions, volunteering our time and talent, and helping to educate people on the mission and vision of causes locally, regionally, and globally.
It is part of who we are.
Propelled by the energy and passion of our amazing employees, each year through AfniCARES, we help feed the hungry, provide shelter and haven, increase education, offer relief when disaster strikes, and fund research and medical care. We want to take a moment to honor and recognize the extraordinary efforts of our employees by highlighting a few of their accomplishments from 2019.
The Snowflake Tree
An annual holiday tradition in our Afni offices, the Snowflake Tree, is our opportunity to help members of our own Afni family. The holidays are to be a time of joy and hope, so we band together to ensure the children of our fellow employees experience the magic of the season and have their holiday wishes come true. Employees around the world display the spirit of the season by adopting anonymous Snowflakes and then shop for fantastic gifts, sure to bring smiles to the faces of these younger members of Afni's extended family. The generosity and kindness of our employees always inspire us, and 2019 was no different as we collected gifts for over 600 children at Afni sites worldwide!
Operation Smile
In the Philippines, thousands of children are born with cleft palate and/or cleft lip problems, and Operation Smile works tirelessly to provide dental care and reconstructive surgery for these children – free of charge. Since its founding in 1982, the organization has helped more than 40,000 people with cleft problems, and Afni is proud of our 2019 partnership with them. Over 60 volunteers participated in a program where they engaged with children and parents to provide a fun distraction as they waited for a screening. Plus, our team raised nearly PHP 45,000, which was enough to sponsor the surgery and post-surgery medication for one patient!
St. Jude Children’s Hospital
Afni has been a long-time supporter of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and in 2019 members of our family across the U.S. helped raise funds to support their mission. The organization is a pediatric treatment and research facility that provides free care for their patients primarily funded by donations. In 2019, members of our family volunteered at local telethons, participated in fundraising runs, and hosted events in our centers to raise nearly $23,000!
Quirino High School, Quezon City
The month of June signals a new academic year in the Philippines. However, the excitement for a new year of learning for many underprivileged students is often overshadowed by their family’s worry over where to get their school supplies. AfniCARES in the Philippines partnered with Quirino High School in Quezon City – a public school that caters to students with hearing impairment – to help address that concern. Between May and June, the Philippine sites collected enough school supplies for the benefit of 50 deaf-mute students. Some employees also volunteered to be part of the donation ceremony and spent quality time to play with students.
United Way
Each year, many of our U.S. sites host a week-long series of fundraising events to support their local United Ways. The focus of the organization is to identify and resolve pressing community issues and make measurable changes through partnerships with schools, businesses, and many other organizations. We thank all those who coordinated and supported our efforts to help the United Way.
Here are a few more of the organizations and causes we supported in 2019:
Bloomington – American Red Cross, Easterseals, Toys for Tots, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Midwest Food Bank
Bowling Green – Hope Harbor, Kids on the Block, Stuff the Bus Foundation, Relay for Life, Feeding America, Amazing Angels
Opelika – March of Dimes, American Red Cross, Love Lee Day, Food Bank of East Alabama, Salvation Army, The Fuller Center
Quezon City – Quirino High School, Operation Smile, Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Tucson - United Way, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Tucson Community Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life
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