Every year, AbbVie employees around the world throw on their “volunteer” T-shirts, and get to work. During the annual Week of Possibilities, nearly 8,000 employees in more than 50 countries spend their days giving back to the communities where they live and work.
Sometimes they build houses, or paint classrooms; they might sweat together under a hot sun while shoveling mulch, or join in the awe of a child’s first time seeing themselves as a scientist.
No matter what their Week of Possibilities activities may be, employees share in one common experience that emphasizes the power of giving back. For some, though, the impact goes even deeper – changing their worldview, or provoking them to make volunteering an ongoing commitment.
As we embark on our fifth Week of Possibilities, a few employees shared their thoughts on how this global event made a very personal impact on their lives.
Conno Hendriksen, the Netherlands
As a creature of habit, I almost always take the same route to work. Sometimes by bike, sometimes walking.
On my route, there’s a building that always intrigued me. It has, in big letters, the words "Nos Casa" on its front. My Spanish is not that good, but I kind of figured it meant "Our House," and was wondering what the place was about. I saw people going in or out at times, but with their windows, doors, and curtains closed, I never knew what sort of place it was.