School supply drive. Adopt a family. Mentoring. Family science nights. Future Well Kids program.
Thanks to Abbott, an Irving ISD Partner in Education, Houston Middle School, Davis Elementary and Singley Academy are the recipients of these incredible acts of service. 
Abbott is a global healthcare company focused on creating break-through technologies to help people live healthier, fuller lives. They serve more than 160 countries and employ 107,000 people.
Thankfully for Irving ISD, Doletta Prowell, who works at Abbott’s Irving location as a training coordinator, wanted to find ways she and other employees could give back to the community. She’s chair of the steering committee for one of the company’s diversity groups, the Black Business Network, which nurtures professional development and focuses on community outreach programs.
And in 2008, Doletta and her network did just that. They partnered with Houston Middle School and hit the ground running with a family science night, a school supply drive and six “adopt-a-family” donations.
Doletta knows the importance of connecting with students, especially thinking back to her own time in school.
“When I was young, my parents were never involved in my school activities. They worked all of the time, so I didn’t have that adult figure that I needed,” she says. “Now that I’m older, I understand the importance of having quality time with students. It makes such an impact, and that’s crucial because they are our future.”
Principal Jeffrey Dorman of Houston Middle is very grateful for that support. “Abbott Labs has provided Houston Middle School with many resources over the past five years. They take STEM-based ideas and give our students real-world examples of how those STEM concepts work in everyday life situations.”
The investment Abbott has made can be easily calculated- the volunteer hours, school supply donations, participant numbers for family science nights and so on.
What can’t be computed is the impact. It’s the conversations during a mentoring session or an interaction with a business professional that encourages a student to go for his or her dreams. These are the things that help our students grow in their confidence and realize their potential.
Thanks, Abbott, for your partnership and your mark on our students’ lives.
If you are interested in becoming a Partner in Education, visit www.IrvingISD.net/PIE.
