Community Involvement

Our team members are engaged in the community, which makes our work more meaningful. We strongly believe it is our responsibility to give back when possible and that it is a privilege to be able to impact the future of our world, even in a small degree.

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. In 2017 Team 1225 began meeting and working at the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County, providing easier access for students who otherwise may not be able to participate.
• 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 and 2019 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 was happy to support a group of ambitious UNCA engineering students broke new ground in 2020 by entering NASA’s 9th annual Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The group also 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.

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 for more than two 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

Also as part of this program, Equilibar’s Julie Detmering, customer service and exports manager, organizes ongoing company blood drives through the Blood Connection. 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.