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Guest Blog – Fundraising Events Bring Community Together With a Shared Vision

Guest Blog by AES, Sponsor of the 13th Annual Abby’s House 5K Run/Walk in October 2022

Women, with or without children, living in poverty in the greater Worcester area struggle with finding stable housing and access to nutritious food. In Worcester County, 9.67% of the population lives in poverty, and the largest group living in poverty is women ranging in ages from 18 – 64.1  A lack of access to these basic needs can impact safety, overall health, ability to work, and access to education.

Abby’s House is the largest provider of affordable housing in Worcester, Massachusetts. This inspiring organization provides critical services that improve the lives of low-income women and their children and has been doing so for 46 years. With 57% of the women living at Abby’s House considered extremely low income and making $23,250 or less, affordable housing and supportive women’s services are key to helping women, with or without children, thrive and heal.

AES, a platinum-level sponsor of the 13th Annual Abby’s House Hybrid 5K Walk/Run in October 2022, an event that brings the community together to support women and their children in need. The walk/run raised more than $71,000 to help fund the inspiring work of the organization.

Headquartered in Virginia, AES is a Fortune 500 global energy company that is accelerating the future of clean energy. As a values-driven organization and leading developer of clean energy, we are committed to the economic, social, and environmental well-being of the communities we serve.

“We are thrilled to be a sponsor of the Abby’s House 5K walk/run because it promotes community engagement and enables people from around the world to participate because it is both virtual and in-person,” says Marisa Valdez, Stakeholder Relations Analyst for AES.

This event supports the continuation of the vital work of Abby’s House, which improves lives by providing access to shelter, affordable housing,  nutritious meals, and advocacy services for homeless, battered, and low-income women and their children.

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender and racial inequities in the workplace in Massachusetts, especially among lower-wage earners. In particular, many women making under $50,000 annually have encountered barriers to childcare and lack workplace benefits, such as paid time off, health insurance,  and mental health services.

In addition, many people report feeling more isolated and lonely since the pandemic began.  This makes the services that Abby’s House provides and community events like the 5K walk/run even more critical because they bring people together to work toward a shared vision and directly enable the provision of essential services.

“At AES, our social impact program is inspired by four of the UN sustainable development goals,” says Valdez. “We sponsored the 5K event because Abby’s House is doing exceptional work that helps meet these goals, including partnering for access to basic services, inclusive economic growth, community health, and sustainability. The 5K is a dynamic and inspiring way to help further these goals.”


This year, you can support women, with or without children, access shelter, affordable supportive housing, nutritious meals, and personalized women’s services. AES partners with Abby’s House to empower women, and you and your business can do the same in 2023.

Abby’s House hosts two major fundraisers, Spring-Tacular in May and the Abby’s House Annual 5K Run/Walk in October. We invite you to support the women and children of Abby’s House by becoming a sponsor for this year’s celebrations.

See the 10th Annual Spring-Tacular sponsorship opportunities here. Spring-Tacular Sponsorships are available now through 4/15/23.

Contact Senior Director of Development and Communications, Kelly Whalen at or to discuss your partnership and see how you can make an impact this year.


  1. “Worcester County, MA.” Data USA, https://datausa.io/profile/geo/worcester-county-ma#housing.