When Lea Anne Welsh, COO of Korman Communities and president of AVE, first met Adam Lowy, founder of Move For Hunger, she immediately saw synergies between the organization's operations and culture. Move For Hunger, a nonprofit with one clear, but large mission - to mobilize the relocation industry to reduce food waste and fight hunger - was Lowy's brainchild and the result of his time spent working on moving trucks at his family's 4th generation moving company, Lowy's Moving Service.

AVE and Move For Hunger formalized a partnership in September 2015, seamlessly integrating a program into AVE's daily operations to collect food for local food banks that would otherwise be thrown out when AVE guests or residents move.

In addition, AVE hosts two large food drives every year - one in September for Hunger Action Month and one in November for Thanksgiving. AVE team members also participate in Move For Hunger fund-raisers such as 5ks and truck pulls.

Danielle D'Amore, Resident Representative at AVE Union, learned about an opportunity to host a back-to-school supplies drive to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America through her local REALTORS® Association Board.

A mother, Danielle knew firsthand that starting the school year with the necessary supplies promotes learning, boosts self-esteem, and helps kids get excited for their first day of school.

She introduced the drive to her fellow Resident Representatives in New Jersey, and all four communities were eager to participate.

Donations of backpacks, binders, notebooks, calculators, crayons, pencils, rulers, scissors, and more poured in and were delivered to students from K-5 throughout New Jersey.

AVE New Jersey has successfully organized this drive for two years now, donating nearly 2,500 supplies.

There is a lot of longevity at AVE – team members who have been with the company 10, 15, 20 years, many of them women who have worked hard and achieved success within the organization.

The team knew they wanted to partner with an organization that empowered women in need to pursue employment and economic security through apparel, advice, and advocacy. Career Wardrobe was a natural fit.

AVE organizes an annual Professional Clothing Drive at all communities in The Greater Philadelphia Area, sponsors and participates in the organization's annual fund-raiser “Hope’s Night Out,” and hosts networking events at the communities.

Team members also regularly volunteer time at the clothing boutique where they assist with merchandising and customer service.

Due to the success of AVE and Career Wardrobe’s efforts in Philadelphia, our team in New Jersey sought out a partner with a similar mission – to empower women by providing professional clothing and mentorship. We formalized a partnership with Dress for Success of Northern New Jersey in 2017, hosting clothing drives, sponsoring benefits, and volunteering at the Donation Boutique.

For four years, AVE team members have been participating in the Corporate FunRun series in New Jersey and Suburban Philadelphia to benefit pediatric and blood cancer research and treatment. Anywhere from 15 to 30 team members have enrolled in each 5k annually to support Tackle Kids Cancer and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Corporate FunRun’s mission is to promote team-building and health and fitness within companies while giving back to the community. Tackle Kids Cancer is the offical charity for the Corporate FunRun New Jersey division, and Pennsylvania division benefits The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It's become a great team-building experience that our team members look forward to every year - at the end of the day, they just want to be together and make a difference in our communities.

MANNA honored Korman Communities founder Steven H. Korman, who is a longtime supporter of the organization, with the 7th Annual Steven H. Korman Day of Caring. Steven’s closest friends and family, as well as team members from Korman Communities, AVE, and aka, joined him by volunteering in the MANNA kitchen to honor his leadership and dedication to MANNA over the past 12 years.

Steven helped lead MANNA through a capital campaign, resulting in a new state-of-the-art facility, which is now known as the The Steven Korman Nutrition Center. MANNA believes in the power of food as medicine and provides medically tailored meals and education to people who are battling life-threatening illnesses.

For over a decade, AVE has hosted a toy drive annually to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

In 2019, team members collected 350 toys to make the holidays brighter for kids in our communities to donate to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

AVE King of Prussia also hosted a Holiday Party for its residents complete with holiday treats, pop-up shops, and a special appearance from Santa, collecting 45 toys to donate to its neighbor Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

AVE Somerset adopted a local family through Family Promise of Hunterdon County where team members and residents were able to pick an ornament from a giving tree, wrap their presents, and surprise a family in need.

In October 2019, AVE “went pink” to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. The team partnered up with Susan G. Komen® Philadelphia, wearing pink all monthlong, which was a definite conversation starter for the AVE team known for their professional black and white suits.

They also raised money for Susan G. Komen® Philadelphia, whose mission is to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50% by 2026, making a donation for every apartment leased signed in the month of October.

The Franklin Residences, the iconic high-rise in Center City Philadelphia managed by AVE, joined “Lights for the Fight” installing pink gels on their famous Benjamin Franklin House sign and the Lincoln Balcony. The Philadelphia skyline gave off a pink glow the entire month as a salute to the thousands of brave individuals in the Philadelphia Area who have survived breast cancer, and to serve as a reminder to all to stay vigilant in the fight.

Since 2018, AVE has hosted an annual blood drive to support American Red Cross. The first drive was hosted by AVE King of Prussia in partnership with its neighbors Wegmans and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which collected 30 units of blood to save 90 lives.

These last two years, the team at AVE Florham Park has taken up the torch to organize the annual drive to support American Red Cross where 52 donors have given 41 pints of blood that will save 123 lives of patients at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, Einstein Medical Center of Philadelphia, Inspira Health Network, and Capital Health Regional Medical Center.