Our volunteers: AvalonBay Communities

Is there a way to boost your employees’ productivity and overall satisfaction from a job while giving back to the community? Yes, and yes. Our friends from AvalonBay Communities share their experiences about volunteering at CHiPS

AvalonBay Communities, the national real estate market leader, has been CHiPS’s long-time partner. Their volunteers help us maintain shelter apartments at Frances Residence and prepare meals for our Soup Kitchen guests. At the company’s most recent event at CHiPS, we had a quick chat with the group leaders Albert Gorbach and Lauren Vincent to talk about their volunteering experience. Аre these events truly voluntary for your employees? Albert Gorbach, general maintenance manager at AvalonBay Communities:  Absolutely! We send out an email about a planned event, and people join. We have at least three-four events at different organizations every month, and we never lack volunteers. Lauren Vincent, general manager at AvalonBay Communities: Yes, that’s right. And every event counts as a full work day.  What brought you to CHiPS? Lauren: We have properties here in Brooklyn, so this is our neighborhood. We want to give back to the community where we operate. And our employees love volunteering here. Let’s talk about the reasons behind your volunteering. We know it is a part of AvalonBay’s national Community Investment program. Can you share more about its goals? Albert: One of our core values as an organization is A Spirit of Caring. It is important for us to give back to the community, help those in need, and allow our employees to feel that they don’t just work but also do something for a better society. Lauren: We contribute donations, including cash and volunteering hours, to over 260 charitable organizations across the country with a focus on disaster relief, affordable housing, and support for at-risk populations. CHiPS, that’s been fighting social injustice in NYC for decades, is our perfect partner.  ___ Did you know?Studies have shown that volunteer programs benefit businesses in many ways. They help to boost productivity, increase employee engagement, and improve hiring. Above this, volunteering increases people’s well-being and a sense of purpose, not to mention physical and mental health (source: Harvard Business Review) ___ What feedback do you get from the employees about the program? Albert: They love the events. Volunteering lifts their spirits. They’re not just contributing time to helping the community; they also can talk about it with their friends and feel like they’re becoming more and more part of a community.  Lauren: We get great feedback about it. We also regularly survey all of our associates, asking many cultural questions, and we always get a good response about how people feel about being part of an organization that centers on philanthropy.  How do you like volunteering at CHiPS? Do you remember your first time and first impression? Albert: My first time volunteering here was two years ago, and that was a project when we painted the shelter apartment. It felt so great! We had a team of five to six individuals; some didn’t even know how to do the paintwork. But we went through it, which was a great bonding event. Afterward, mothers with babies who lived in the apartments thanked us. It made me feel warm in my heart. It was a great experience. Lauren: This is actually my first day volunteering at CHiPS. I have to say, compared to other kitchens I volunteered at, this one is very well organized and very well run. There is no downtime; everybody is used to their capacity. There is no “Excuse me, can I get some direction… What should I do now?” You, guys, have a process really ironed out here! If you want to volunteer at CHiPS, check out our Get Involved page If you are a corporate representative or business owner and your company would like to become a donor, please contact us via email at shanice@chipsonline.org