Community Outreach Archives

Boxley’s Community Impact Goes Year Round

At Boxley, a company of Summit Materials, employees provide community support across Southwest Virginia by holding donation drives throughout the year. In 2023, we collected peanut butter for Food for Kids, essential items for Veterans Affairs through the Red Cross, and school supplies for a multitude of elementary schools.

Food For Kids

Our Support Center in Blue Ridge, Virginia, holds an annual peanut butter drive to support Food For Kids Weekend Pack-A-Sack. This program provides a bag of meals every weekend during the school year to eligible elementary school students to combat child hunger.

We offer further assistance by volunteering monthly to pack and deliver the bags to the various schools.

Boxley peanut butter drive donation event

Veterans Affairs

An employee spearheads donations for Veteran Affairs at our Fieldale, VA, location. They started in 2021 and steamed from Boxley trying to find ways to help our communities during COVID

This year, our Fieldale team collected:

Toothpaste — 170 Tubes
Bodywash — 78 bottles
Bar Soap — 372 bars
Razors — 68 packs (3 to 10 per pack)
Laundry Pods — 35 packs
Shampoo — 98 bottles
Deodorant — 84
Toothbrushes — 78
Hot Chocolate — 23 boxes
Toboggans — 27, his and hers
Warm socks — 16 pairs

“It’s not about me. It’s not about Boxley. It’s about sustainability… it’s become a matter of heart,” Edna Hall, Inside Sales at Fieldale

Fill the Bucket

2023 was our inaugural school supply donation drive; our employees showed up across all locations. After the two-week campaign at the end of August, our boxes overflowed—we had too many individual items to count!

Stay up to date with what our employees are doing at work and in the community by following us on Facebook, Linked In, and Instagram!

Explore The Earth at A Boxley Quarry

Boxley, a Summit Materials Company, hosts and participates in STEM-compliant programs that give future generations a stone-solid foundation for success.

Explore the Earth

We have a long history of working with elementary schools and teachers through our geology presentation and quarry tour that meet Virginia’s 5^th-grade SOL standards.

Students learn about everything from the mining process, mining safety, and why mining and aggregate are essential to daily life. Then, during their tour, they witness a quarry during regular operating hours from our overlook.

“It’s great to be a part of the education process; most people don’t realize everything we would lose without aggregate. Metals, glass, plastics, carpet, vinyl siding, bricks, block, concrete, paved roads, the list goes on.” – Josh Wilson, Director of Product Support

Our partnership with The Virginia Mu s eum of Natural History began in 2019 with a $10,000 gift to help the museum deliver various STEM-based educational programs. Held in-person and virtually, VMNH staff produces various programs to benefit schools, families, and general audiences throughout Virginia and beyond.

If you are an educator interested in setting up an Explore the Earth quarry tour for your students at one of our locations throughout southwest and central Virginia, please contact us at contact@boxley.com or 1 (888) 442-8878.

Boxley Values Employees and Employees Pay It Forward

Boxley, a Company of Summit Materials, adds value to employees’ lives and presents opportunities to give back as they see fit—including involvement with United Way.

Value Given

Competitive compensation, safety incentive bonuses, and engaging benefits allow employees to take care of themselves and their families in the best way they see fit. Click below to catch up on articles you may have missed where we’ve highlighted different employee benefits.

Value Received

“Once, in an interview, I was asked what I wanted on my tombstone. My response was ‘that I made a difference in someone’s life.’ United Way gives me that opportunity. Giving and being able to make a difference in anyone’s life is the best feeling you can have. With Boxley matching my donation, that makes my giving help so much more!” – Sherry Foutz, former Executive Assistant, 96 Years of Pledges.

Whether through volunteerism, product donations, or financial support, we are dedicated to helping improve the quality of life in the communities where we work, live, and play. To increase our impact in these areas, we encourage our employees to get involved with company-sponsored events like the United Way Day of Caring and donate to the 100% company-matched annual pledge.

In 2022, 223 Boxley employees pledged $28,010.59 for a total company donation of $56,021.18 bringing the total United Way giving to $2.045 million since 2000.

Check out the following ways employees have gotten involved and how our local United Way has recognized us.

Stay up to date with what our employees are doing at work and in the community by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram!

Local Fire & EMS Tours Resume at Boxley Locations

Upholding a long-standing tradition, Boxley is pleased to resume annual tours for the local fire and EMS personnel servicing our various locations.

The purpose of the visits and tours is, first and foremost, safety—for our employees and the first responders. Keeping rescue personnel familiar with our property layouts and procedures equips them, so they are aware of any hazards they could encounter should we ever need their assistance with an emergency on-site.

Throughout the tour, safety aspects get brought to the forefront, but we also take the opportunity to educate the crew members about our industry and what we do daily. Finally, to close out, we like to provide a meal and present them with Boxley’s annual donation.

“We’ve been doing this for many years. It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know some of our local first responders and provide insight into our operation.” Cline Dooley- Area Manager—Blue Ridge, Fieldale, & Rich Patch

Tours and educational visits are also open to students, teachers, and select community groups. If you are interested in setting up a quarry tour at one of our central and southwest Virginia locations, please contact us at contact@boxley.com or 1 (888) 442-8878.

Boxley Hosts Science Teachers for Summer Field Trip

What could spell more fun than a teachers-only summer field trip to visit Boxley’s Arvonia quarry to experience geology up close, collect rock samples, and learn about modern mining in Virginia?

On June 24, Boxley’s Arvonia Virginia location, where our iconic Buckingham® Slate is produced, was proud to be one of four host quarries for the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST) Rockin’ PD (professional development) event held in partnership with the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance (VTCA) and Friends of Mineralogy-Virginia Chapter.

Teachers started the morning with a lesson on safety, products, history, and the important role quarries play in a community. Then the adventure began with a geology overview and a tour of our quarry and operations. Each teacher left with Rock Kits and Fill Up Bags to utilize in their future lesson plans.

“It was a pleasure to get selected for this opportunity to bring these educators out. We got to show them not only what we offer as a business but most importantly how we can work together to educate younger generations,” said Spencer Young, Superintendent of Arvonia.

Boxley has a long history of working with schools and teachers through our Explore the Earth geology presentation and quarry tour that meets Virginia’s 5^th-grade SOL standards.

Boxley’s Asphalt Crew Assists First Responders in Action

Boxley’s asphalt milling crew, led by James Phillips, was ending their workday on Monday, April 11, 2022, on Chestnut Ave NW, Roanoke, VA, when Lt. Adam L. Fleming and his crew from Roanoke Fire-EMS Station 1-C received a call for a house fire on the same road.

As the firefighters sprang into action, so did our employees by utilizing one of our trucks and orange cones to block the road from traffic, ensuring the supply line from the hydrant to the house did not get compromised. Employees also provided a hydrant tool allowing firefighters to save time in their effort to save the house.

“It’s not that often we get help from the public. I would like to recognize James and his crew for helping this day,” says Lt. Fleming. “Thanks again for Boxley having employees that will go beyond their normal workday assignments and lend a helping hand.”

Left to right: Firefighters Troy Mann, Lt. Andrew Watkins, Capt. Chris Decker, and Lt. Adam Fleming and Boxley crew James Phillips, Doug Fink, Johnny Hall, Drake Vaughn, Timothy Locklear, and Richard Simmons

“We would like to personally thank our crew on the scene that day for exemplifying the characteristics we look for. Additionally, thank you to the fire and EMS personnel in our communities. Your tireless, and sometimes thankless, work does not go unnoticed, and we are proud of our employees who took the initiative to give back to you that day,” says Charles Craddock, Boxley’s Vice President of Asphalt & Construction.

If you would like to learn more about Roanoke’s Fire-EMS and what you can do to prevent house fires, click here.

Empathy While Working and Volunteering

At Boxley, “employee” and “volunteer” are heard synonymously when referencing our team members. No matter the position, each employee is encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities provided throughout the year to give back to the communities we’re honored to serve.

Torri St. Clair, a Purchasing Administrator at our Support Center in Blue Ridge, VA is a shining example of someone who does what she loves and shares her time generously to support her community. As the support person for all the quarries and plant managers, Torri reviews incoming invoices and purchases and works with vendors to ensure accounts are processed and charged accordingly. She sets up new vendors in the payment system and is the point of contact for vendors’ with payment questions.

Torri’s compassion and understanding make her the accounts payable professional with a friendly touch. It also gives her the drive to give back, through the company, to make things better however she can.

Throughout her career, Torri has volunteered countless hours to the community:

Through Habitat for Humanity, volunteers helped the Rescue Mission of Roanoke get ahead by cleaning used items and sorting them for sale in their store.
Food for Kids is a volunteering effort throughout the school year where bags of food are packaged up and delivered to participating schools in our community for food-insecure children to take home over the weekend.

Working hard to better those around her doesn’t stop there; Torri also volunteers as part of our Team360: Health and Wellness subdivision. Below are challenges and events she has been a part of orchestrating to encourage better physical and mental health:

Weight Loss Challenge(s)
Bring Your Dog to Work Day

“As a representative of Boxley, I get to show how much the company cares for our community and employees. We’re encouraged to go a step beyond for others, just like the company does,” says Torri.

Stay up to date with what our employees are doing at work and in the community by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram!

Community Giving is Back in Full Swing

Boxley is known throughout the communities we serve for many reasons; being active participants to improve the community’s quality of life is one of them. So, in 2021, we were able to get back to being hands-on and find ways to provide the largest impact.

We started the year with a gift to the Virginia Museum of Natural History which produced a virtual education programming partnership that can be tapped into by following the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Facebook. Our $10,000 gift supports the promotion and delivery of the museum’s virtual education program throughout 2021 and 2022. These programs, in turn, support STEM learning among the younger generations in our communities.

In response to our 2020 monetary donation that fed our communities, Boxley was able to put boots on the ground in Dillwyn, VA, to participate in Feeding Southwest Virginia’s Mobile Food Pantry. In addition, we were able to utilize the food donation boxes we helped provide in 2020. Finally, our employees held donation drives in the summer of 2021 to help Feeding America partners have another multimillion-dollar food distribution year.

Edna Hall took it upon herself to make a difference by partnering with the Red Cross to support the Salem VA (Veterans Affairs) after COVID made donations and visitations exceptionally hard.

Our donations aren’t exclusively in the form of time and money. For example, when contacted to donate concrete for a sidewalk and slab to honor the community donors that made their Bridging the Gap project a success, we couldn’t say no.

Our volunteer and donation efforts wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t partner with United Way. Our 96^th year was another example of our year-over-year increased donations. Through the generosity of our employees and the company’s equal match promise coupled with our other efforts throughout the community, we were humbled to receive the Spirit of the Community Award.

Stay tuned for 2022 to see what Boxley has going on in terms of projects and community involvement.

Boxley Supports STEM Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills prepare young people for the fast-growing occupations in the construction materials industry that will impact their futures.

Boxley’s Explore the Earth program works with our local public and homeschooled students to meet grade 5’s Earth Science Standards of Learning (SOL). Students learn about geology firsthand with a quarry tour and participate in an engaging presentation by our engineers and environmental experts as to the role aggregate plays in daily life and how it is produced.

Our partnership with the Virginia Museum of Natural History is another STEM education focus area. With our virtual education programming partnership donation at the beginning of the year, the museum will be better positioned to deliver a combination of STEM educational programs led by VMNH educators and scientists, with various programs provided to schools, families, and general social media audiences.

“Connecting with as many students as possible throughout the Commonwealth is always a goal of the museum and Boxley’s support this past year has made that goal even more achievable,” said Christy Deatherage, education manager at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. “Because of Boxley’s financial support, the museum was able to provide additional educational programming to K-12 classes throughout our local region, from Roanoke to Lynchburg to right here in our own backyard in Martinsville.” If you’re a teacher or homeschool facilitator, contact us to schedule a tour for our Explore the Earth program. And don’t forget to check out the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Facebook to catch their STEM-backed postings.

United Way Recognizes Boxley’s Spirit

Since 1906, Boxley has helped to build and strengthen our communities from the ground up. Whether through volunteerism, product donations or financial support, we are dedicated to help improve the quality of life in the communities where we work, live and play.

Recently, we were pleased to receive one of United Way’s highest honors, the Spirit of the Community Award, for continuing to put boots on the ground and putting our Core Beliefs into action.

We were humbled to have our outstanding year-round support of United Way and our whole community recognized.

“Boxley’s relationship with United Way extends past any current employees’ tenure. Those before us put the building blocks in place and set the bar high for the company’s standard. It’s an honor to be a part of a company that not only makes promises to the community but sticks to them and delivers. We would not have achieved this recognition without the efforts of our employees in 2021. I have high hopes looking to 2022 that we will, once again, make a significant impact to the quality of life in the communities we live and work in.”—Sherry Foutz (Executive Administrative Assistant)

Boxley has supported United Way for 96 years and counting. Year over year, we have consistently increased our donations through the generosity of our employees and the company’s equal match promise. In 2021, six United Way organizations distributed our funds across the communities Boxley serves.

Our recent award also recognized our participation with Feeding America. In 2021, we ran a company-wide food drive, volunteering, and sponsorship with food collection bins and a mobile food pantry in Dillwyn, VA—feeding a total of 7,800 meals.

Don’t wait for another award to come our way; make sure to stay up to date on Boxley activities throughout the year by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.