Avivo’s Volunteer Program sees significant 15 percent jump in volunteer hours in 2023

Avivo’s volunteer program saw an incredible leap in the number of volunteer hours worked, with more than 1,300 volunteers giving nearly 21,000 hours of their time – an increase of nearly 3,000 volunteer hours from 2022!

“I can’t thank our volunteers enough,” shares Brittany Biggers, Director of Volunteer Services at Avivo. “With a small facilities team, volunteers help us save precious Avivo staff time and allow it to go toward supporting people in need.”

“I can’t thank our volunteers enough,” shares Brittany Biggers, Director of Volunteer Services at Avivo. “With a small facilities team, volunteers help us save precious Avivo staff time and allow it to go toward supporting people in need.”

A few highlights from 2023 include:

• For the past two years, a group of 12 seniors from the Academy of Holy Angels’ Campus Ministry Team volunteered nearly 150 hours. Groups have helped establish a clothing closet, cleaned offices, apartments, and storage spaces, and helped accept hundreds of gifts for Avivo’s Adopt-A-Family program.
• USI Insurance Services jumped in to help refresh paint on the exterior walls of several Avivo Village tiny homes, with nearly 30 USI volunteers spending two days completing the project. They also supported Avivo’s Street Outreach Team by assembling harm reduction kits and reorganizing the program’s storage room.
• Through a partnership with HandsOn Twin Cities’ Connected for Change program, Ingenuity Marketing Group was matched with Avivo for a day-long session on strategic planning for communications and marketing. This dedicated, pro-bono support helped Avivo shape an efficient annual media plan.

“Every year we get a great mix of individual volunteers and larger volunteer groups, and we steer them toward meaningful volunteering,” shares Brittany. “Every volunteer group, big or small, makes a huge difference at Avivo.”

Not only did volunteer hours grow, but in-kind donations (like Urgent Needs Kits, Wish List items, etc.), which help support participants directly, were up significantly:

• Greater Twin Cities United Way donated nearly 800 backpacks full of school supplies for children of Avivo’s program participants.
• Odele Beauty provided much needed hygiene items by donating 5,600 bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
• Alpha, formally Alpha Video, hosted three donation drives and a kit assembly event. In the end, Alpha provided more than 100 winter-related items, 100 pairs of shoes and boots, 200 items of clothing and household supplies, and 1,800 snack kits.
• Glad to Bee, a local quilting group, supported Avivo participants by donating 83 handmade quilts.

Both volunteering and in-kind donations help Avivo to provide essential support to individuals and families in need, and expand Avivo’s reach and community impact.

“When you volunteer with Avivo, you can make a significant difference in the lives of those who need help the most.”

Are you interested in volunteering at Avivo? If you or your organization is interested in individual or group volunteering opportunities, please reach out to Brittany Biggers or learn more here.