Columbia Forest Products Staff Donate 200 Hours of Community Service
Columbia Forest Products staff helped paint a preschool in Newport during a staff-wide volunteer day on August 28, 2024. The day was organized by Columbia Forest Products, with support from Green Mountain United Way.
Columbia Forest Products staff made trail repairs and built a bridge at Memphramagog Trails in Newport during a staff volunteer day on August 28, 2024. The day was organized by Columbia Forest Products, with support from Green Mountain United Way.
Columbia Forest Products staff built backpacks and diaper bags for Tatum's Totes, a statewide program supported by Green Mountain United Way that provides essential and comfort items to children entering emergency foster care in Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom. The activity was part of a staff volunteer day on August 28, 2024. The day was organized by Columbia Forest Products, with support from Green Mountain United Way.
Columbia Forest Products staff donated 200 hours of community service on August 28, 2024. The effort was part of a staff-wide event at the high-end plywood and veneer mill, during which 50 staff signed up to participate at one of three local community volunteer projects. Staff signed up to paint a local Head Start center, complete trail work on Memphramagog Trails, or pack backpacks for children in foster care for Tatum’s Totes.
Heidi Meyers, Employee Engagement Specialist with Columbia Forest Products, organized the day with support from Green Mountain United Way, which serves central and northeastern Vermont. Green Mountain United Way also hosted the Tatum’s Totes volunteer event, to support this program that provides essential and comfort items to children entering emergency foster care. The day-long event included food trucks for lunch and lumberjack games in the afternoon.
Caring for each other and community is part of the culture at Columbia Forest Products, where staff are given 8 hours of paid volunteer time each year. Meyers said, “Volunteer efforts foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among employees, strengthening team dynamics and boosting morale. Engaging in volunteer work gives employees a sense of purpose beyond their regular job responsibilities.”
Joshua Houlihan, Plant Manager with Columbia Forest Products, said that volunteering is part of wellbeing in the workplace. “We strive to emphasize service, humility, and trust in our daily operations, and we feel we have a responsibility to serve the communities in which we live and do business in a comparable way. The wellbeing of Columbia Forest Products and our community is very much aligned, and we are committed to continually serve this community in any way we are needed.”
Joshua Folsom, a technician with Columbia Forest Products, participated in the trail work project. “The volunteer day is a time to give back to this community,” said Folsom. “Me and my family bike the trails often, and to be able to give back and help that organization means a lot because it makes biking for us so much more accessible.”
Volunteer contributions are integral to the work of the receiving organizations. Bob Primeau, with Memphramagog Trails, said the volunteers helped his organization complete much-needed work.
“The Columbia Forest Products crew allowed us to check off three big jobs from our infinite list,” said Primeau, “including building a new bridge on the mountain bike trails, installing chicken wire on some bridges that were getting slick, and sprucing up our pump track in time for an upcoming event.”
Volunteers also packed backpacks and diaper bags with essential care items for infants and young children to support the Tatum’s Totes program. Green Mountain United Way coordinates the delivery of these backpacks to Department of Children and Families offices in central and northeastern Vermont, where more than 200 children are currently in foster care. Often, these children enter emergency care with very few of their possessions, if any. The backpacks include care items such as tooth brushes, socks, and body wash, plus comfort items including toys, stuffed animals, and blankets. Sarah Galbraith, Director of Development and Community Engagement with Green Mountain United Way, led the backpack activity, along with Resource Coordinator Michelle Clark.
Galbraith said, “Building these backpacks together was a chance to talk with Columbia Forest Products staff about this issue that is affecting children and families right in their own community. We are seeing an increasing number of children going into emergency foster care, and these backpacks are such an important part of easing that transition for them. It’s a meaningful way to make a difference in these kids’ lives, and I’m so glad they could be part of it.”
