Sugar Bush Foundation

🌍New country. New campus. New beginning.

Starting life in a new place can be exciting, but it also comes with challenges, especially when it comes to finding the everyday essentials that make a house feel like home.

That's why the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative (AOZWI) and The Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service as partners with Athens Move-Out Collection Coalition (AMOCC), is working to connect international students with donated household goods through community-driven move-in and move-out initiatives. 🏠♻️

Giving gently used items a second life does more than just reducing waste, it creates a culture of welcome, belonging, and support. Every donated lamp, chair, dish, or blanket helps a student settle in, save money, and focus on what matters most: building their future.

Photo credit to Rural Action

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"I see my Appalachian roots in them. That connection matters."

Future educators Emma King and Amelia Woollard are choosing to invest their talents where they can make the greatest impact: rural Ohio classrooms. Their stories highlight the power of community-connected education, strong relationships, and the vital role teachers play in shaping the future of Appalachian communities.

As graduates of the Rural Teacher Corps, part of the Sugar Bush Foundation-funded OHIO Rural Teacher Partnership, Emma and Amelia represent a growing movement of educators committed to serving the rural communities that shaped them.



BB2C - Building Bridges to Careers

I Am A Rural Teacher: Emma King & Amelia Woollard, Appalachian Ohio Two future teachers reflect on rural roots, classroom beginnings, and the power of community-connected education in Appalachian Ohio

When local environmental reporters disappear, how do communities learn about important environmental issues?

It’s a question more communities in Appalachian Ohio are starting to face.

Through the partnership between the Athens County Independent and Scripps College of Communication, local environmental reporting is doing more than covering stories, it’s bringing attention to issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

For the past two years, this work has been supported by the Sugar Bush Foundation to help ensure these stories continue to be told. For example recent coverage on fracking didn’t just stay local, it reached the state level, prompting broader attention. That kind of visibility matters. Because when local news disappears, so does accountability. And without it, important stories, especially those tied to the environment and public health risk going unheard.

In the OHIO Rural Teacher Fellowship, a teacher isn't just someone who stands at the front of a classroom.

Teachers are the person who designs a project around a real community challenge, not a textbook one. Who shows a kid that the place they grew up in is worth understanding, worth contributing to, and worth staying in. That's place-based learning. And in Appalachian Ohio, it's a necessity.

Through the OHIO Rural Teacher Fellowship, educators are trained to develop community- and career-connected learning projects that put middle schoolers to work on real challenges in their own towns.

The result? Students who see their community differently. Teachers who lead beyond their classroom. And rural towns that get something rare: people who choose to stay.

The Fellowship is a partnership between Building Bridges to Careers, Ohio University Regional Higher Education, and the Sugar Bush Foundation — because we believe strong schools and strong communities aren't separate goals. They're the same one.

It’s Giving Day, Bobcats 💚

When you support the Sugar Bush Foundation, you help in advancing sustainability by bringing communities together, engaging students, building on regional strengths, restoring the environment, and creating impact that can grow beyond one place.

Give today by clicking the link in our bio or via the link below:

https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/74612/donations/new?designation=friendsofthesugarbushfoundation

Did you know that every Sugar Bush Foundation project includes funding for OHIO students to be engaged in the region? This real-world learning gives students a sense of connection to the region, a taste of the power of working toward the common good, and professional experiences to add to their portfolio.

This Ohio Giving Day, your gift helps expand opportunities for students to learn, lead, and thrive. Support experiences that inspire growth 🌱

👉 Support today: https://bit.ly/3O8qQIq or click the link in our bio