June 22, 2026

 

Dear Friends,

 

June is camp month for Boxerwood, always an occasion to connect more deeply & joyfully with the natural world and one another. This summer, we’re facilitating those Earth-heart connections for more than 200 youngsters, with outdoor adventures taking place not only at Boxerwood, but at Lake Robertson and downtown Buena Vista too. May our camp stories and photos inspire more befriending everywhere! 

 

Yours for a thriving Earth,

The Boxerwood Team

Led by Caroline Coons and Liz Kuehner, Boxerwood’s signature camps hosted fifty children earlier this month for two weeks of play and learning. Our theme this year was making friends with the other creatures who call Boxerwood home. With help from junior counselors, seasoned staff, and special guests, kids aged 4 to 7 investigated the unique intelligences of five kinds of animal friends: jumping spiders, roly-polies, opossums, Eastern screech owls, and Eastern black rat snakes. Activities included exploring habitats, enacting the movements of these amazing animals, and making crafts inspired by them. In the process, our campers realized their own commonalities and differences, too. We became Earth friends.

Who lives, crawls, hops, and zooms around Boxerwood? During these last two weeks of June, thirty intrepid children from the BEST program at Enderly Heights Elementary School are using binoculars, magnifiers, frog callers, and their own five senses to get up close & personal with the natural world. As part of interspecies friendship-making, the kids are also helping Boxerwood wildlife by planting clover, creating bee homes, and even decorating fancy decomposer doors for the deep woods. This grant-funded camp means plenty of hands-on outdoor adventures for Buena Vista children with no cost to families: a win-win for all.

Amidst canoeing and hiking at Lake Robertson this month, 90+ middle schoolers from Maury River Middle School also took a moment to pause, look, and create. The result: a wonderful array of cyanotypes – one of the earliest forms of photography that requires no camera, only specially treated cloth that is sensitive to sunlight. We shared this technique with the youth on June 4th and 11th as part of YAS (Youth Experiencing Success), a grant-funded camp run by MRMS. “The activity really connected kids to nature’s beauty,” said Boxerwood educator Elise Sheffield, who facilitated the project with help from MRMS teachers. “We’ve been partners with YAS for many years,” she continued, “and are always finding new ways to connect with the Earth and one another!”

Hooray! We’ve just concluded our third BV Tree Team internship program with nine Buena Vista high schoolers. For the last three weeks, the interns worked throughout BV on projects that strengthen the City’s tree canopy. They assessed downtown tree species and health for the BV Tree Board, weeded and enhanced the BV Tree Nursery, designed an informational trifold for public education, and planted several trees to shade city playgrounds. “This experience has been one of the most valuable and interesting things I’ve done," one of the interns wrote on the program’s last day. "I felt a part of the team and I felt heard. I truly feel connected with the environment and I know I can share my knowledge.” Another added, “It makes me realize that I have a voice in my community and that I can make a difference, even though I am quite young.”

Yes, you can visit friends and family and help the planet – even if there’s a plane trip involved. Boxerwood created COREworks in 2020 to help make your travel more Earth-friendly. When you secure a travel offset, 100% of your tax-deductible donation helps fund additional high-quality carbon-sequestering projects right here in Rockbridge.

Gather round! On July 16th from 4:00-5:00pm, we are hosting a special event for Boxerwood volunteers on the Lodge back patio. During our time together, Boxerwood’s Executive Director Ben Eland will share some big plans on the horizon (stay tuned), followed by an informal Q&A and homemade pie & ice cream. This happening is the latest in a series of enrichment events we’re offering Boxerwood volunteers to build community and convey our gratitude for all the ways they help Boxerwood bloom. Thinking about volunteering but haven’t yet? You’re welcome too!

"Who’s Betty?" is question often asked of this dynamic group, who will play our Music in the Garden series this Friday. Originally formed in 2022 from the dream of creating harmonies that give audiences goosebumps, Amanda Baxter, Diana Schofield, Martha Burford, and Tasha Walsh enjoy sharing vocals and swapping instruments as they entertain. Their musical genres spread from country to ballads to rock & roll and beyond. Sit back & relax or get up and dance – they guarantee a good time! Gates open at 5:30pm, and the concert runs from 6:30-8:30pm. Admission is free for garden members and kids, and $5 per person otherwise. A food truck will be on site for musical munching.

For two decades, Boxerwood has enjoyed a vibrant and productive partnership with Buena Vista City Public Schools through education, composting, after-school programs, and more. Recently, we’ve strengthened those connections through a grant-funded endeavor with the City of Buena Vista itself: BV Cool Trees. Key leaders of both the City and BVCPS ensured the successful conclusion of this three-year project, which planted over 200 trees throughout the City while strengthening civic engagement and youth service-learning. Like a good friendship, our partnership with Buena Vista continues to grow and bear fruit. Just this week, we learned that yet another grant will enable us to continue our urban forestry work for two more years. We would not have earned this new award without a successful track record with our partners. Thank you, Buena Vista leaders and community members! We look forward to more good work to come.

Boxerwood Education Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Federal Tax ID: 54-1937944

Sent by Boxerwood.

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