ABSI Aerospace & Defense, an aviation services, training and T&E company located in the Patuxent River region, just concluded their first company virtual 5k.
“Given the current climate, bringing the team together for an actual event wasn’t a possibility,” said Nancy Smay, Director of Communications. “But our company culture is really important to us, and we wanted to find an event that would offer employees the same feeling—of doing something good while sharing an experience.”
The effort succeeded in raising more than $2,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, between company-sponsored registrations and individual donations.
“Our workforce is largely made up of veterans,” noted Kimi Humphreys, Director of Human Resources at ABSI. “And we wanted to support a cause that directly benefits that community.”
ABSI staff ran or walked the 5k on their own schedules, doing things their own way. Tony Sacco, a vet himself, chose the “Fierce” option offered by the WWP Carry Forward 5k program, which requires carrying a human-sized weight to replicate one warrior carrying another. Tony and his brother Matt did this by tying a heavy bag and Olympic weight plates to a sled and hauling it the full distance—in the pouring rain, no less. Other team members carried flags, or walked with kids and dogs in tow. More than a quarter of ABSI’s nationwide workforce participated, and most recruited family and friends to join the effort.
