Honoring Black Contributions Avalon is celebrating Black History Month in lots of ways and our DEI Task Force wanted to share the content we’re watching and listening to, the virtual events we’re loving, and the thought-provoking articles we are discussing. Please explore, enjoy, and share this list!   Of course, this is by no means […]

  Dear friends, I am thrilled to kick off this letter by sharing that Avalon is celebrating five MAXI Award wins! Kudos to these Avalon teams and clients: Farm Sanctuary, Friends of Smithsonian, Galapagos Conservancy, National Air and Space Museum, and The Trustees. The awards will take place in a virtual ceremony on November 5, […]

Dear friends, As you know, last week marked the anniversary of 9/11. It is hard to believe that nineteen years have passed since that unforgettable day. While memories and images of the attacks are still painful, I remain heartened by the dedication of first responders. On a bright note, I recently read about this nineteen-year partnership between […]

Like so many of us, Avalon clients are working from home, practicing social distancing, tutoring their kids and grandkids, and somehow still managing to move their critical organizational missions forward. Here’s what our clients are working on—and ways we can all get involved—as they work to help us all thrive during this unprecedented time.   […]

Increasing Safety for Pigs and Humans Farm Sanctuary and six other animal welfare groups filed a federal lawsuit recently, seeking to make it illegal for slaughterhouses to kill pigs that arrive at the pork-processing plant unable to stand. These potentially sick animals are more likely to harbor and transmit food-borne diseases, which can be dangerous […]

  “Hunger doesn’t go away once the holidays are over, in fact, January and February is a time we see a lot of need from those who are really having trouble making ends meet,” said Joanna Warner with the Maryland Food Bank. So MFB is joining forces with the Enoch Pratt Library throughout January, to help […]

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Speaks Out In June, Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture was named the Smithsonian Institution’s 14th secretary. Recently, CBS This Morning ran a fascinating feature on Bunch and his new memoir: A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, […]

See what KC’s REACH is all about Washington, DC is all abuzz about the recently-opened Kennedy Center’s $250-million REACH expansion sitet. Designed to get the public up close and personal with how art is created, the REACH consists of unique and intimate rehearsal, performance, and outdoor spaces where people can watch performing artists create. NPR recently […]

  REACH for the stars! The Kennedy Center is pulling out all the stops when it opens its much-anticipated expansion, the REACH, in September. For 16 days—September 7-22—the Kennedy Center will hold a free festival, including tours of the new REACH spaces, films, interactive events (like tai chi and virtual reality demonstrations), dance, comedy (Patton Oswalt!), […]

A must read: the open letter from Cynthia Pearson (executive director of the National Women’s Health Network) to Norman Sharpless, the new Food & Drug Administration commissioner. Pearson notes eight strategies for earning a high grade from NWHN, and implores the commissioner to prioritize science and public health over special interests. Read the entire letter on NWHN’s website. […]