Community Involvement

Our team members are engaged in the community, which makes our work more meaningful. It is a privilege to be able to impact the future of our world, even in small ways, and we are grateful for opportunities to give back.

Our corporate giving policy features a two-pronged approach focused on educational and environmental projects. We are also happy to support our team members in their individual efforts to play an active role in projects they find meaningful.

Education

Every day, we work with some of the world’s top researchers and scientists. We are able to do this because of the strong educational backgrounds of our engineers, technicians and other skilled employees. We realize how important it is to invest in public education and to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in particular. Our educational giving includes the following:

• Henderson County Public Schools Robotics — Equilibar is excited to support the Henderson County Public Schools Robotics Program by sponsoring FRC Team 1225. This group of local high school students learns about science and engineering — as well as teamwork, marketing, and logistics — by building robots for international competition. The team has won several championships and awards in the prestigious FIRST Robotics Competition. Several of us have enjoyed mentoring the team by working with them and giving hands-on presentations throughout the year
• Fletcher Elementary School — At Thanksgiving, Equilibar’s production team donates a portion of proceeds from shipping to help provide Thanksgiving dinner for underprivileged families at our local elementary school. We enjoy this opportunity to connect with families and to express thanks to the educators who are teaching the future scientists, engineers and technicians in our community.
• West Henderson High School Science Olympiad 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2022 State Competition — Equilibar was happy to help the Science Olympiad Team at West Henderson High School go to the state championship after they won regional competitions in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. We are proud of their efforts and look forward to similar opportunities in the future.
• University of North Carolina at Asheville Lunar Robotics Team — As a logical next step to our support of high school robotics, Equilibar supported a group of ambitious UNCA engineering students who entered NASA’s 9th annual Robotic Mining Competition in 2020. Before being halted by COVID, the group worked with underserved middle and high school students to expose them to STEM field and inspire the next generation of innovators and explorers. The robots were designed to mine simulated lunar ice under harsh conditions, collecting as much material as possible in 15 minutes.
• Boys & Girls Club STEM Lab — In 2024, we were happy to sponsor the Equilibar STEM Challenge to raise funds for a new program for middle and high school students who are members of the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County. Since the program was launched, it has become a favorite at the club and introduces STEM concepts in a fun and engaging way, offering another avenue for students to thrive and find their niche.

Environment

Equilibar is located near multiple forests, wilderness areas and national parks in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. The area has a rich ecosystem with diverse plant and animal life. Many of our team members choose to live here because of the outdoor activities that are available, so land conservation is a natural fit for our corporate giving. We are happy to support the following:

• Friends of DuPont Forest — Equilibar founder Jeff Jennings played an instrumental role in the formation of DuPont State Recreational Forest and has served on its advisory board and in other roles for decades. Equilibar is happy to sponsor the Friends of DuPont Forest website, which provides key information and support for this immensely popular resource.
• Friends of the Smokies — Friends of the Smokies works to protect the natural resources, facilities and visitors of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located less than an hour from Equilibar. After supporting the Gran Fondo fundraiser for several years, Equilibar became a corporate sponsor of the Classic Hikes Series in 2018. This ongoing program raises money to maintain popular trails in the park.

Matching Program for Individual Community Service

Equilibar offers a Community Service Program to enable team members to participate in volunteer activities they find personally meaningful. Equilibar provides volunteer time or matching funds for qualifying community service projects for each of our full-time employees. So far, our matching program has supported the following organizations:

• Manna Foodbank
• Mended Little Hearts of Asheville,
• St. Gerard House,
• FurEver Friends Animal Rescue Network,
• Heart of Horse Sense,
• Carolina Climbers Coalition ,
• Central Appalachia Climbers Coalition,
• Make a Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina,
• Bristol Ballet Company 
• Homeward Bound to End Homelessness
• Access Fund land conservation
• American Alpine Club
• Ocracoke Alive rebuilding after Hurricane Dorian
• Mills River Farmers’ Market
• International Refugee Assistance Program
• Only Hope WNC Homeless Assistance
• Asheville Tool Library
• World Central Kitchen meals for global crisis areas

Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts

In late September 2024, the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Equilibar were devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which changed the very geography of the region through historic flooding, high winds, and mud slides. The area will be in recovery for years, if not decades, to come. We are thankful that our team and our building stayed safe, and we have been grateful to have ways to contribute funds and volunteer time through our matching program to organizations such as Helene Rebuild Collaborative, Beloved Asheville, Nanostead Hub, Reconciliation House, and the Helene Business Recovery Fund sponsored by Mountain BizWorks.

Blood Drives

Equilibar’s Julie Detmering, customer service and exports manager, began organizing ongoing company blood drives through the Blood Connection in 2018. We are happy to support our community in giving the gift of life and extend an open invitation to contact us at info@Equilibar.com with questions about participating in future events as they become available.