stone soup

How do you keep outdoor learning alive and relevant in midst of a pandemic? Education director Elise Sheffield participated in a national EE funders’ conference this month as an invited panelist. Boxerwood was as one of five environmental education providers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed asked to share insights at a time of rapid societal change.

A national survey of 3,000 providers recently suggested that more than 60% of all EE organizations in the U.S. are at risk for permanent closure due to pandemic impacts. Boxerwood aspires not to be one of them. Elise shared some of our short and long range plans to stay vital, highlighting how we’re also sustaining outreach to underserved children. Strengthening inclusion and social equity within the field of EE was a central interest among attenders. One pathway forward: value and support the work of smaller, locally-based grassroots community organizations like Boxerwood.

Elise also introduced attenders to our Stone Soup model of community funding. In this model, Boxerwood tends the fire, holds the pot, and keeps stirring. Our friends and partners contribute what they can and in the end we all benefit. Alas, as invited guest to the funders’ network, Elise wasn’t permitted to solicit on behalf of BEA directly. If you haven’t yet tossed your stone into our Boxerwood pot, please click here.