AbbVie staff join forces to create packs for children in Barnardos

ABBVIE, a global biopharmaceutical company which employs approximately 80 people at its company offices in Citywest celebrated its eighth annual community volunteering initiative recently.

The day-long effort in support of children’s charity Barnardos involved company employees creating 300 activity packs for children going from Early Years Services (aged four to five years old) to ‘Big’ School, with two different Wellbeing Packs for older children aged eight to eleven.

The AbbVie employee activity forms part of the company’s signature Week of Possibilities community volunteering programme.

It seeks to empower employees to volunteer whilst at work and personally undertake activities that improve the communities in which AbbVie people work and live.

Barnardos will make 150 Early Years Packs available to children aged four to five who are about to go to school for the first time. Included are pencils, a copybook, eraser, and a whiteboard with markers.

Also included are fun items such as stampers, stickers, colouring sheets and additional arts and crafts supplies.

A special feature of the packs is an environmental and science-focused activity that allows children to grow their own ‘Sprout House’.

AbbVie volunteers cut colourful sponges into size for children to assemble and grow cress from seed.

Instructions on how to build their house and grow seeds are also included, alongside helpful pictures.

Two different Wellbeing Packs were assembled for older children accessing services supported by Barnardos.

These contain books about how to manage their feelings, educational jigsaws and much, much more.

The biopharmaceutical company organised the project in partnership with Volunteer Ireland.

The packs will be distributed to Barnardos Services both local to AbbVie’s office in Dublin and across Ireland.

AbbVie believes in making a strong commitment to local communities.

Commenting on the project, AbbVie’s General Manager Andres Rodrigo said: “We are an Irish organisation that works closely with doctors to harness the power of innovation and science to improve people’s lives.

“We do that through the provision of medicines that improve outcomes and advance standards of care.

“Barnardos is a particularly appropriate community partner for AbbVie given the charity was founded by a Dublin-born doctor.

“The work they undertake on behalf of disadvantaged children in Ireland is outstanding.”