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Dear Friends,

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School buses are rolling through the hills of Rockbridge again, a steady (and steadying) reminder of what’s essential in a time of significant change. And this month, Boxerwood will once again connect hundreds of children to the power of hands-on, outdoor learning.

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For 25 years we’ve focused our efforts on raising a generation of Rockbridge young people who know how to care for the Earth, our home. Today those earliest Boxerwoodians are adults, yet they still remember the taste of our fresh- pressed cider, the feel of standing in a river, sinking into a marsh, or picking up a pair of binoculars for the first time. 

 

🌿  It always felt like [Boxerwood] was available when you needed it…I would love to walk around and go to the pond and just listen to the frogs. It’s like, how could I not want to keep this alive? 

– Mary LePere, Boxerwood alum, environmental science PhD candidate, glacier hydrology
 

We know these things because this year we have been collecting their stories. In addition to pursuing careers in science, the children who grew up with Boxerwood are now wetland engineers, nature writers, farmers, foresters, counselors, renewable energy developers, outdoor guides, teachers, park rangers, parents, and more. That’s impact.

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🌿  Boxerwood is just such a unique place – to have both the environmental education aspect but also the play and the land to go and explore and learn…nowhere that I’ve found has come even close.

 – Robbie Gardner, Boxerwood alum, wind farm developer
 

This back-to-school month, please consider deepening your support for Boxerwood’s educational programs. Now more than ever it’s time to invest in our own backyard: the place where the good keeps growing, no matter what.

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🌿  It was super important to me to learn about the land specifically in Rockbridge County…the land is such a defining part of our culture, of who we are. And learning that that could be in danger…I think that really lit a fire in me.

– Sophia Dryden, Boxerwood alum, conservation biologist & environmental educator
 

Thank you for your support, for lighting a fire with us. Together, we’re making a difference.

 

Yours for a thriving Earth,

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Elise Sheffield

Boxerwood Program Director

 

P.S. Your donation to this back-to-school appeal helps subsidize Boxerwood programs for schools in need. Ten of our twelve public school partners now manage free or reduced lunch rates of 70-90%. Program fee subsidies ensure all children can participate with Boxerwood regardless of school ability to pay.