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Auberle’s dedicated donors and volunteers find all kinds of creative, impactful ways to uplift those we serve, and Christine Tobias and her colleagues at Quest Diagnostics embody this dedication in spades. For more than 10 years, Christine has supported Auberle through philanthropy, volunteer work, and board service. As she, her colleagues, and Auberle’s NEXT Society recently held a special event in April, there’s no better time to highlight Christine’s inspiration for making an impact.

Christine, who serves as Vice President of Operations & CEO of Quest Diagnostics Venture, LLC, first became involved with Auberle at the encouragement of a mentor she met through Leadership Pittsburgh. “I feel so grateful for how fortunate my own children are and for the life they have, and that gratitude has ignited my passion for helping those facing challenging life circumstances,” Christine said. “When I learned about Auberle and the work they do to help children, adults, and whole families, I knew I wanted to be part of it.”

From her first meeting with Auberle CEO John Lydon, Christine was committed not only to getting involved as an individual, but fostering involvement among her peers and colleagues at Quest. “Quest’s director of human resources joined me at the first meeting with John to identify ways for the company to support Auberle, and our team is so enthusiastic about this mission. Even my own family gets involved!” Christine added. “All my children have been volunteering alongside us for years. We’ve helped out at the annual Voices Carry event, wrapped countless Christmas gifts, volunteered in the 412 Youth Zone… It’s been incredibly rewarding to contribute however we can.”  

Christine has recently been leading an effort to encourage young professionals to get involved. So when Auberle relaunched the NEXT Society — a group of professionals ages 21-35 who meet to learn more about nonprofit involvement — in 2023, it sparked yet another collaboration between Quest and Auberle.

“We have a Young Professionals Employee Business Network at Quest, and I really wanted to explore ways to connect this group with the NEXT Society,” explained Christine. “Auberle identified a need to assemble special activity kits for foster families and children. I presented this opportunity to the Young Professionals to see if they’d like to participate in putting these kits together, and they’ve done a fantastic job.”

Christine and the Young Professionals network held an Easter candy fundraiser, invited Quest employees to donate items from a curated Amazon Wish List, and partnered with Quest’s Women in Leadership network to raise money to purchase branded bags for the kits. The dollars they raised allowed for the purchase of crafts, games, journals, and additional items for the activity kits — all selected to facilitate bonding and conversation among children and families within the foster care system.

Quest employees and additional volunteers assembled the kits as part of the NEXT Society Open House event at the University of Pittsburgh — hosted by Auberle board member David DeJong, Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Operations at Pitt.

Christine is excited about the event’s turnout, and for the continued partnership with Auberle she’s been able to cultivate for more than a decade.  

“It’s impossible to pick any one, single moment in my work with Auberle as the ‘most rewarding,’ because all of the experiences have been precious to me,” she said. “But the times when I’ve been able to connect face-to-face with the people Auberle serves are some of my most cherished memories. Several years ago at Christmastime, Quest’s senior leadership team built gingerbread houses with children, and I’ll never forget the joy on those children’s faces. When there’s a chance to bring that light into someone’s life, we’re honored to do it.”

Thank you, Christine and Quest, for your support!