Supporting Students in Southeast Missouri
8 Jun 2021
We are proud to call Southeast Missouri our home. Many of our employees have lived here for generations, and the area’s rich mining history has played a large part in creating our close-knit communities.
That’s why we support local schools and organizations that create opportunities for the next generation to learn skills for successful future careers. Doe Run also helps maintain our local and state economies and jobs in our community by supporting Missouri businesses.
“One of the most important ways we can invest in our communities is by helping local students build the technical skills needed for the workforce of the future – whether that is working here at Doe Run or elsewhere,” said Dianne Whitaker, director of human resources at Doe Run. “The mining sector is expected to grow by more than 13% by 2029, and other technical and science-based jobs will continue to be in high demand, so it’s important that students build a strong foundation in math and science now.”
In 2020, Doe Run donated nearly $84,000 to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and scholarships for elementary through college-level students.
- Donations to Iron County C-IV School District in Viburnum helped to purchase microscopes, K’Nex bridge building kits, and other building materials that encourage active learning through creative problem-solving. Viburnum High School was able to purchase two robotics competition starter kits for the Robotics Club to participate in VEX Robotics competitions.
- We enabled Bunker R-III School District to enhance existing math curriculum, providing students with access to online videos and activities for use in the classroom and at home.
- STEM kits donated to North Wood R-IV School District in Salem let middle school students build prototypes, perform experiments, and analyze and interpret data.
- An X-ray spectrometer donated to Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) has enabled students to measure the spatial distribution of elements within powders, thin films, composites and bulk alloys. These skills are vital for the engineering, geology and metallurgy students who could one day work in our mines, mills and Recycling Facility.
- We sponsored college scholarships for students attending Southwest Baptist College, Mineral Area College and Missouri S&T.
“Doe Run also invests in our community by supporting local businesses. In 2020, we spent $164 million with 678 Missouri companies.”
Dianne Whitaker, director of human resources at Doe Run
Community Engagement in the Time of COVID-19
Protecting one another is a top priority while at work, and this extends to our communities. Throughout the pandemic, local hospitals and health care facilities were in critical need of protective equipment – some of which we already use in many of our facilities. We offered our support to local health departments, and were able to donate N95 masks, respirators and filters to health care facilities throughout Southeast Missouri, enabling doctors and nurses to safely provide care to patients in need.
In addition to Doe Run’s contributions, we also want to recognize our employee efforts to give back in their own communities – especially during these challenging times. Employees came together to provide food, essential supplies and donations to charitable organizations and families throughout the region. Learn more about our community outreach.
For many years, Doe Run has hosted events that celebrate more than 300 years of mining in Southeast Missouri. Because of the pandemic, the annual Old Miners Days and Fall Rocks events were canceled in 2020 to keep our community safe. We look forward to when we can once again gather with our neighbors to celebrate our rich mining history.