Robin Waites Community Engagement Center Capital Campaign
FY24-25 Annual Fund
Robin Waites Community Engagement Center
This capital improvement initiative aims to create a hub for fostering community involvement, empowerment, and collaboration, honoring the legacy of Robin Waites and her dedication to community engagement.
Quick Links
Project Objectives Proposed Adaptive Reuse Campaign Breakdown About Robin Waites
Introduction
The Robin Waites Community Engagement Center will serve as a vital resource for our community, offering a wide range of programs and services designed to address the diverse needs and interests of Columbia and Richland County residents. Named after Historic Columbia’s esteemed Executive Director and community leader Robin Waites, who exemplified a commitment to civic engagement and social justice, this center will embody her spirit by providing a welcoming space for all members of our community to come together, connect, and create positive change.
Project Objectives
- Provide a central location for community members to access resources, services, and programming aimed at enhancing quality of life, promoting civic participation, and fostering social cohesion.
- Offer educational workshops, training sessions, and skill-building programs to empower individuals and groups to take active roles in addressing local issues and driving positive community change.
- Facilitate partnerships and collaborations between community organizations, local government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses to maximize resources and effectiveness in addressing community needs.
- Honor the legacy of Robin Waites by advancing her vision of a more inclusive, equitable, and vibrant community through meaningful civic engagement and collective action.
Proposed Adaptive Reuse
Historic Columbia is launching a $500,000 capital campaign to renovate the existing Robert Mills Carriage House to accommodate the growing needs of the organization and to honor Robin Waites’ retirement from Historic Columbia. The vision for the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center reflects our deep desire and commitment to continue Robin’s legacy of serving our community.
The Robin Waites Community Engagement Center will feature state-of-the-art facilities and amenities to accommodate a wide range of activities and events, including but not limited to:
- Multipurpose community gathering spaces for meetings, workshops, events, and performances
- Gathering space equipped with audiovisual technology for educational and skill-building programs
- Dedicated areas for collaborative workspaces, community organizing, and volunteer activities
- Outdoor recreational area and green space for community events, leisure activities, and social gatherings
The current Robert Mills Carriage House serves as the only indoor education space and event venue at the Robert Mills House & Gardens. The Carriage House includes a catering prep kitchen, two restrooms, interior building storage for tables and chairs, and an open event space. The current layout includes spatial challenges such as poor visibility and access to both restrooms, minimal and inefficient prep space in the catering prep kitchen, inability to close off restrooms and prep kitchen from the event space, and lack of natural light in the event space.
The following design concepts will address these spatial challenges, and allow the newly renovated Robin Waites Community Engagement Center to become the prime small group gathering venue in Columbia.
- Relocation of restrooms to allow for easier access without disrupting events in progress.
- Renovation and upgrade of existing prep kitchen to offer additional amenities.
- Convert storage area into extended event space.
- New door and window system, allowing natural light to provide a more welcoming environment.
- State-of-the-art technology upgrades to allow for dynamic presentations.
An Investment for Our Community
To bring the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center to fruition, we estimate a total project cost of $500,000. This includes expenses for construction, renovation, equipment, furnishings, technology infrastructure, staffing, programming, and operational costs for the initial phase of the center's establishment.
We are seeking support from individuals, businesses, foundations, and government agencies who share our vision and commitment to community engagement and empowerment. Your contribution will make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless individuals and families in our community, ensuring that the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center becomes a beacon of hope, opportunity, and positive change for generations to come.
The establishment of the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center represents a significant investment in the future of our community, providing a vital resource for fostering collaboration, empowerment, and social innovation. We invite you to join us in this transformative endeavor and become a partner in creating a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient community for all.
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You Can Help!
Our goal is to raise the majority of funding in leadership and major gifts before seeking support from the broader Columbia community through Historic Columbia's 2024-2025 Annual Fund. Community donors will provide the remaining needed to reach the goal, and most importantly, provide a place that brings community to the table, both literally and figuratively.
Please consider making a gift toward the Annual Fund, which will have a significant impact on the ways in which Historic Columbia can engage with our community and honor Robin’s transformational legacy at the organization. Such a gift will move us quickly toward achieving our goal.
Together, we will create a more accessible and safe space to bring about positive change in our community.
About Robin Waites
Robin Waites is the current Executive Director for Historic Columbia and has served in that capacity since 2004. A life-long resident of Columbia, Robin is well equipped to work with the various constituents and issues that are key factors in the preservation of historic assets and education on local history in South Carolina’s capital city.
During her twenty-two year tenure, Robin has overseen the transformation of the historic buildings and grounds; established an expansive community engagement program in Columbia and Richland County; worked with local partners and grass roots advocates on a number of major historic preservation efforts and grown Historic Columbia’s reputation for informing, connecting, and inspiring the citizens of Columbia and Richland County. In 2019, Robin received the Steve Morrison Visionary Award from One Columbia and in 2020, the Governor’s Award from SC Humanities.
A Legacy of Visionary Leadership
Over two decades of service to Historic Columbia, Robin’s transformational leadership has led to:
- Award-winning, cutting edge, and inclusive interpretation at Historic Columbia’s museums, on its grounds, and throughout its website.
- Rehabilitated, period-appropriate gardens at each of the properties that allow Historic Columbia to expand educational opportunities, generate increased revenue, and serve as beautiful and accessible greenspace in the city center.
- Extremely well-managed collections that are now accessible online.
- Dynamic, inclusive partnerships that prioritize voices and stories of those previously not given a platform.
- An impactful, multi-pronged preservation advocacy program that has led to retention of some of the Midlands’ most important and diverse historic assets.
- Dedicated, impactful financial support from the City of Columbia and Richland County.
- Finally, and most importantly, a professional staff that is committed to making all of the above not only possible, but extraordinary. This staff looks forward to continuing Robin’s legacy.
Questions?
To learn more, please contact Rebecca Jacobson, Director of Development, at (803) 252-7742 ext. 12 or rjacobson@historiccolumbia.org.
Thank You!
A heartfelt thank you to the City of Columbia for their generous $125,000 leadership gift toward the Robin Waites Community Engagement Center.
