Domtar and SCA: Transforming Communities Together

Visitors to Warriors’ Path State Park in Tennesse will enjoy a smoother hike this fall, thanks to the efforts of Domtar’s EarthChoice® Ambassadors (ECAs). These volunteers are committed to transforming communities where they live, work and play.

In October, ECAs from our Kingsport Mill and our Ridgefields converting facility worked with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to clear trash, install steps and restore trails in the park. As part of this joint effort, our colleagues removed 35 decaying steps and replaced them with new ones, and they picked up more than 135 pounds of trash. By the end of the day, they had restored a section of pedestrian trail for public use.

While Domtar volunteers have been transforming communities through similar events for many years, this was the first such project for the newly formed Ridgefields ECA team.

“I’m honored to be the captain of the new Ridgefields ECA team,” says Heather Fultz. “The team and I are so proud to have been able to be a part of something that will have a positive impact on the community.”

Heather Stowe, Domtar’s corporate social responsibility manager and creator of the program, has led efforts to establish an ECA team at each Domtar facility in our network.

“I’m always so humbled and amazed when I see the inspiring things our ECA members are accomplishing in their communities,” says Stowe. “With the recent installations at the Ridgefields and Tatum converting facilities, we have successfully built an ECA team at every single Domtar facility in North America. That is definitely something worth celebrating.”

Transforming Communities One Project at a Time

Since 2012, our ECA teams have regularly joined the SCA in projects focused on transforming communities throughout the United States and Canada. Other recent projects include:

Community Kitchen of Bennettsville, South Carolina

Colleagues from our Marlboro Mill and Tatum converting facility in South Carolina worked with the SCA to benefit the Community Kitchen of Bennettsville, South Carolina.

The Kitchen, as it is known locally, feeds neighbors who need a meal. On average, 130 people have lunch there each day. More than 80 Domtar volunteers, along with SCA staff, spent a Saturday installing benches, picnic tables, swings, lights and sunshades to create a more welcoming and relaxing atmosphere for diners.

In the courtyard, volunteers added custom-painted trashcans and potted bushes and flowers. They also donated handmade bedrolls for distribution to visitors in need.

The idea to partner with The Kitchen came from Leith Fowler, who works at the Marlboro Mill. He learned about the organization while working on an earlier service project. Fowler and other ECA volunteers regularly participate in programs to help their neighbors in need.

“Helping our communities’ less fortunate should always be a priority,” Fowler says. “This partnership made me proud to be a Domtar employee.”

Jeffreys Cliffs Conservation & Recreation Area in Hawesville, Kentucky

In May, ECA volunteers from our Hawesville Mill and our Owensboro converting facility, in partnership with the SCA, helped prepare Jeffreys Cliffs Conservation & Recreation Area to open to the public in Hawesville, Kentucky.

The site, located four miles east of Hawesville in an area known as Skillman Bottoms, contains an old rock shelter known as Morgan’s Cave, rumored to have been used as a hideout by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Approximately 50 Domtar employees and their families joined the SCA to clean and restore the site. These volunteers removed 70,000 square feet of litter, placed boundary and trail markers and created more than 1,600 feet of new trail.