Avivo partner Advent Talent Group recognized for volunteerism and giving

Advent Talent Group, an important Avivo partner, received well-deserved recognition as a 2019 Minnesota Keystone Honored Company by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber for its generous direct support and volunteerism with Avivo!

Recipients were chosen from nearly 200 socially-conscious companies enrolled in the Minnesota Keystone Program, and were honored at the 43rd Annual Minnesota Keystone Celebration in December.

“Avivo seemed like a natural choice for Advent Talent Group’s Breaking Barriers initiative, which is part of our Advent Cares program,” shares Michelle O’Kelley, director of client services at Advent Talent Group, and member of Avivo’s Business Partner Council. “Avivo has such a great holistic approach to helping families, and is one of the only residential treatment facilities that allow mothers and children to live together; to take part in recovery together.”

“Avivo has such a great holistic approach to helping families, and is one of the only residential treatment facilities that allow mothers and children to live together; to take part in recovery together.”

Through Advent Cares, Advent Talent Group has contributed nearly 100 hours of volunteer time to Avivo’s programs, in addition to substantial direct and in-kind donations. Their contributions directly assisted Avivo’s programs, making a difference in the lives of individuals and families we serve.

“We actually chose the name Breaking Barriers after a group volunteer day at Avivo,” says Michelle. “We were helping with the renovations of Avivo’s housing for families in treatment, which included demolition. We went in to smash stuff, including breaking walls. Breaking Barriers came from that.”

Breaking Barriers is an appropriate name for Advent Talent Group’s initiative, as that’s exactly what they’ve helped Avivo’s program participants to do. Their volunteers not only helped with renovations, but also with mock interviews for program participants, employment workshops, and by creating job search kits.

“Advent Talent Group’s partnership is a wonderful continuum of support,” shares Kelly Matter, Avivo President & CEO. “They bring their expertise to our classroom, helping us design programs that train our students for in-demand jobs. Their support in the classroom and the well-packaged job search kits help students build self-confidence for those first job interviews.”

“I highly encourage anybody thinking about volunteering at Avivo as part of an initiative for 2020 to just do it,” says Michelle. “You can’t do it wrong. When you help someone, how could it be wrong?”