May 9, 2025 Dear ::subscriber.first_name::,
Music is in the air – cue the spring warblers, vireos, and cardinals, and also our friends bringing joy to life through our upcoming Music in the Garden series (read on!). Naturally, our NewsLeaf theme this month is “making music together.” We’ve got stories to inspire and stories also that signal a shift and change – yet through it all, the band plays on. Thanks for singing along. Yours for a thriving Earth, The Boxerwood Team
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This season we’ll be saying farewell to our colleague, Emily Kohl (photo, far right) who has announced her intention to step back from her position as Executive Director at the end of June. During her tenure, Emily brought new vigor and rigor to BEA as she worked to establish sound organizational footing in challenging, post-pandemic years. These efforts have already resulted in a more robust, vibrant, and impactful community organization. Thank you, Emily, for believing in us and the BEA mission, and for giving your all for Boxerwood’s flourishing. We’ll miss you, but once a Boxerwoodiain, forever a Boxerwoodian – we’ll see you around! More details about the upcoming Executive Director search are forthcoming next month. In the meantime, a round of appreciation to Development Coordinator Laurie Macrae who will serve as our interim director this summer. |
In honor of Boxerwood’s 25th anniversary and its good work, a dedicated supporter has offered a matching gift challenge for our Spring 2025 Fundraiser. Every dollar you contribute before the end of May will be matched 1:1 up to $20,000 – meaning your gift helps us twice as much. This is an uncertain time for non-profits, and we need your support. Please make your tax-deductible donation today. |
Honoring Mother Earth & More |
On Mother’s Day, May 11, Boxerwood will be reviving a beloved tradition at its nature center and woodland garden: a celebration of nature’s bounty and mothers of all kinds. The afternoon event is without charge, and one of a series of special happenings at the 15-acre garden this year as Boxerwood Education Association (BEA) celebrates its 25th anniversary as a community-supported non-profit. |
Singing in Harmony: BV & Trees |
What makes a great musical collaboration? Even beyond skill or finesse, we might say listening comes first. That’s been the case for Boxerwood’s ongoing collaboration with the City of Buena Vista. Following close work with the City over several years – in which both partners have listened to the needs, resources, and creative capacity of the other – Boxerwood secured a grant in 2024 from the Virginia Department of Forestry to plant 250+ trees in the City over three years – and promote civic engagement. Now in Year Two, we’re making great music together! |
BV Cool Trees Grows Its Team |
This spring, Boxerwood educators Catherine Epstein and Ginny Johnson interviewed two dozen Buena Vista teens who wanted to be part of a paid summer internship that supports the BV Cool Trees project. Last year’s six interns built a tree nursery, interviewed local tree experts, spread the word about the initiative, and designed BV Cool Trees logos and brochures. The internship went so well that we were prepared for more applicants, but were taken aback by receiving four times the 2024 number, or 10% of all students in grade 8-11 at Parry McCluer HS. What, we wondered, was drawing so many young people to this opportunity? |
Two teams of Rockbridge citizens recently certified two more climate action projects for inclusion in Boxerwood’s carbon offset marketplace, COREworks. Offsets generated from the 23-24 Waste Busters Compost Project and the 2025 Union Creek Tree Planting Project are both high-integrity options for managing your carbon footprint. Thank you to reviewers Anita James, Charlie Page, Marcy Orr, Chris Wise, Fred Fevrier, Annette Green, Sarah Hollen, Lenna Ojure, Vera Winkler, and John Milford for contributing your time and talents to this climate-forward enterprise.
To date, 34 Earth-minded people and four organizations have secured 74 offsets to reduce their carbon footprint from activities like flying. Join the club!
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The Buzz on Bees (& Beehives) |
What’s that sound you hear in the Garden? If it’s springtime, then likely you’re hearing the buzz from scores of preschoolers learning the waggle dance with BEA educators. The dance is the way these little wigglers can tell their “fellow bees” where to find the flowers. This year, we’re also enjoying the colorful artwork on the Boxerwood beehives themselves. Painted by artist Joyce Cambron, wife of beekeeper Chris Baroody, the hives have names: Henry’s Memorial (named for our original beekeeper friend), Sea Monkeys, and Octopus. |
Halestone Dance Studio is getting ready for its 2025 spring performance, “Rooted in What Remains,” which will return to the field at Boxerwood for two performances on Friday, 5/9 and Saturday, 5/10 at 6:00 p.m. The Appalachian-themed program includes dancers of all ages. All are welcome. Information about tickets and the nightly food truck at the Halestone website. |
Music in the Garden: May 30 |
Our Music in the Garden outdoor concert series returns for its 12th season on Friday, May 30, kicking off a special "Summer of Stories" to commemorate BEA’s 25th anniversary as a nonprofit. This year's lineup features an exciting mix of returning favorites and new local talent. Opening the season on May 30 will be the Shester, Datz, and Newhall bluegrass trio. The summer’s storytelling season commences that evening with a lively stage interview during intermission with Karen “KB” Bailey, one of the three founders of Boxerwood Education Association (BEA). |
Love Music in the Garden? Consider volunteering from time to time as a Tabletop Host, an easy-lift opportunity. As a table-top host, you and your buddy (if you like) will welcome folks who stop by our Boxerwood information table. There’s no need to know everything: a warm smile & interest in others is what we need most, and training is provided. As a token of our thanks, volunteer Ambassadors who pledge to help out five or more times as Garden Greeters (2-hr weekends shifts) and/or as Table-Top Hosts will receive five free music passes to share with others this season – now that’s something to sing about! |
BOXERWOOD RISING:
Meet Mary LePere, environmental scientist |
Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein, creator of this series: catherine@boxerwood.org When Mary LePere, now a PhD candidate in environmental science, first began teaching conservation as a teen counselor at Boxerwood, she didn’t have high expectations. A Buena Vista resident at the time, she was working at one of our summer camps and wondered how much her campers would really care about the environment. "You think, 'They're just little kids,'" she recalled. One day, she took a group of children down to the garden’s runoff pond, and the campers were a little rowdy. But on their walk, they saw a snake. “And these kids who could not be quiet, could not pay attention, could not listen, just sat there silently for maybe two minutes while this snake crossed the path," recalled Mary. "Everyone was like, ‘Wow, this is beautiful.'"
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PARTNERS IN THE PICTURE: Music in the Garden Sponsors |
Three cheers for Boxerwood’s 2025 Music in the Garden sponsors! The support of local businesses helps make this beloved community tradition possible each year. Thanks to our generous sponsors, garden members, and the GloBowl Cafe food truck, we'll enjoy exceptional musical talent in the garden all summer long. To view this year’s lineup, visit boxerwood.org/calendar |
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 |
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