Upgrades, activities aplenty at Knights Hill Park
Wholespire funds 11 community health improvement projects in the latest round of HEAL mini-grants
Wholespire announced the recipients of its latest Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Mini-grant to support local-level projects that increase access to healthy choices. Out of 73 applications, 11 community organizations were chosen to receive up to $6,000 each that will help South Carolinians lead healthier lives and prevent or manage chronic diseases.
All of the awarded applicants indicated on their application that community members were involved in the decision-making process and provided positive feedback about their projects. Studies show that when community members support policy, systems and environmental changes like creating a new walking trail, they will more than likely use that new public resource.
“Because of this particular question on the application, we can confidently say that people in South Carolina want something healthy to do and something healthy to eat,” said Meg Stanley, executive director at Wholespire. “It doesn’t make sense to us to invest money in a project that the people don’t want. This type of information also tells us how well applicants know their community.”
The following community organizations were awarded a 2023 HEAL Mini-grant:
- Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board, Inc. (Kershaw County): The Seniors Walking Trail at Knights Hill Park in Camden
- United Way of Kershaw County (Kershaw County): Vandal-resistant water bottle refill station at KC West Park in Lugoff
- SC School for the Deaf and Blind (Spartanburg County): Natural Playground for all students, especially those with sensory differences
- Greens and Things Farmers Market (Greenville County): Mobile market that accepts SNAP and serves the Shemwood community in Greenville, SC
- St. James Health and Wellness (Georgetown County): Walk into Health Walking Track to serve patients and the Sampit community
- Greenwood County First Steps (Greenwood County): Storywalk trail to promote outdoor family engagement, literacy and physical activity and activity kits to help children develop motor skills
- Truth Ministries (Marion County): Create a community garden to fight food insecurity for low-income families and individuals in Gresham, Marion and surrounding communities
- Blacksburg High School (Cherokee County): Expand the Growing Together student-led garden project in Blacksburg
- JBC Cares (Richland County): Improve a community walking trail in Hopkins
- Fairfield County Parks and Recreation (Fairfield County): Enhance Willie Lee Robinson Park by adding a swing set for children to play in Blair
- United Way of Chesterfield County (Chesterfield County): Provide the towns of Ruby and Jefferson with a Born Learning Trail
The HEAL Mini-Grant initiative is made possible by a grant from the BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Community engagement is core to Knights Hill community success
Historically, many Black communities have faced disparities in access to recreational facilities and resources. In Camden, South Carolina, the Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board is doing something about that with the help of their community and funders like Wholespire.
In 1900, Knights Hill Park was deeded to a group of community organizers in the Knights Hill community, a residential area with their own unique character and community dynamics. The park became a centralized location for community events, celebrations, family gatherings, and outdoor recreation. It was a time when families and neighbors cherished fellowship by gathering outdoors to enjoy each other, share stories, exchange ideas, escape their problems, laugh, and play outside.
Over the years, Knights Hill Park was in disarray due to a lack of maintenance and a misunderstanding about who was responsible for the upkeep of the park. The Knights Hill community wanted something to be done about their neighborhood retreat. They wanted a safe place for seniors and youth to engage in physical activity and fellowship but couldn’t understand why their requests for maintenance were not being heard by the county.
Returning to where it all began
Bill Robinson is a descendant of the Knights Hill community who has the skills and knowledge to help get the park revitalization project going. His parents were born and raised there, and he visited Knights Hill on many occasions during his childhood. Bill eventually returned to Camden to help his sister make improvements to his father’s house following his death.
“People noticed that I was in the community and because my parents are both originally from this community, they knew me from years of coming down from Long Island where I grew up. They asked me to attend a meeting last year, which happened to be a board meeting, and raise some funds to do some upgrades to the park,” said Robinson.
The group explained to Robinson that they had been asking Kershaw County Parks and Recreation for some upgrades for years, and they were wondering why there was no response. Because he has experience as a fundraising and non-profit consultant, Robinson did some research and uncovered a couple of things. First, the original group lost its standing with the state as a non-profit due to some administrative errors. Most importantly, there was an agreement with the Parks and Recreation Department to list the park as part of the county park service and they would do what they could to help, but the agreement did not include maintenance of the park.
Robinson devoted time to correcting the non-profit status and the group renamed themselves to Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board. He also needed to start the process of renegotiating the agreement with the county, but the Board had one more request. They asked him to be their executive director, but they couldn’t pay him.
“They proposed for any funds that I raise to include an administrator fee for me, and I said sure. It was important to me because for me it was full circle. This was a part of the legacy of my family on both sides who grew up in this community, went to school in this community and were active in this park in this community. So, for me, it was like this is the least I could do. And now that both my parents are gone, I could provide this service and keep this legacy going. That’s how it all began,” said Robinson.
Building credibility through awareness and relationships
While waiting for their non-profit application to be approved, Robinson continued doing more groundwork to get the organization and their park improvement project positioned for success. He connected with some key partners like Kershaw County Parks and Recreation to reintroduce them to Knights Hill Park and revisit the initial agreement.
“We engaged in a two-pronged approach. One, to get outside funding to prove to the county that we could raise the funds and fix the park up whether they’re involved or not and use that as leverage for their part of the agreement. This is a 50-year agreement and I think we’re in year 30 of this agreement. So, I was happy to find out literally about six months ago that we were actually owners of the park. So that just opened up a whole new thing,” said Robinson.
Robinson says the relationship with parks and recreation has “been a great partnership ever since late last year and we’re continuing to build on that now.” The Wholespire HEAL Mini-grant proved to parks and recreation that they were serious about revitalizing the park. They’ve been able to rely on the department for help with maintaining the grass, tree and debris removal and other high-maintenance requests.
Media advocacy and community engagement are two essential components of public awareness campaigns. Each plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, influencing policy, and mobilizing support. Robinson understood this and went straight to The Chronicle-Independent newspaper.
“I invited the editor of the paper out to the park to show him what we intended to do. I literally walked the park with him, opened up the shelter building, let him know that this is who we were and what we planned to do. He did a beautiful 2-page article about the park, the history and our goals for the park.”
Awareness in the form of media coverage helped ramp up Robinson’s ability to advocate for their park improvement efforts and prove that Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board is a valid and credible organization. Introducing himself and the organization at council meetings and to individuals after the meetings became easier, allowing for better conversation and even funding opportunities.
Identifying the first project with community feedback
Knights Hill community members of all ages have been involved in the park’s revitalizing efforts from the beginning. They were included in meetings and asked to provide feedback on their wants and needs. The seniors and youth set the phases of the overall project.
“Usually, our meetings were held outside underneath the shelter building, so as people were coming to the park – there’s a swing area, the playground area, as well as the basketball court and then a baseball field in between all of that — they would watch us meet once a month and depending on what was happening, we just pulled the kids over and said ‘Look you know this is what we’re doing. What do you all want to see first?’ We thought as adults that that would be a great way to engage young people. Offer them something and then we can engage them in future plans down the road.”
“So, they were with us every step of the way, designing the court, picking out the colors for the court and they just could not wait as we were going through the process. The court was in progress and the kids were still playing on it. So, there were times when we had to literally work around the kids. ‘Look, kids, please play on this side of the court so we can get the work done on this’ and the other side that we wanted to do for any particular day.”
Measuring the success of a basketball court
It’s easy for Robinson to see the benefits of revitalizing the basketball court and it puts a smile on his face. He says that not a day goes by that he doesn’t see people playing basketball. There’s a new respect for the court – litter is decreasing. And during a recent May Day community event, the court was particularly exciting.
“We hadn’t finished painting the court, but the kids didn’t care. They’re playing three-on-three. Then it was five-on-five. Then the teens were waiting to play. The girls had the courts for a while, and they were doing their thing and it was just…it was beautiful to watch.”
Another successful indicator is when young people from outside of the Knights Hill and Camden communities find out about a great basketball court.
“During college spring break earlier this year, I was out doing something on the court and there were all kinds of kids here. And the interesting thing is, there were more white kids there than I had seen in a long time. So, I just let them play, and I was doing my thing on the other side of the court. When I got finished, I asked them, ‘Where are you guys from?’ Three of them were Clemson students, one was from Coastal Carolina and another one was from USC. They had gotten together and driven from Lugoff because they had heard about the Knights Hill basketball court. They said, ‘Man, this is gonna be a cool court when you get finished. We can’t wait to come back after the school year is over.’ We saw some of those people during the summer come back and play basketball.”
Looking forward to a healthier future
The stars aligned for the Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board. Starting from scratch is no easy task for a large project like revitalizing an entire park. The organization has found that when you engage with community members and value youth feedback and participation, the chances of getting things done and being successful on many levels can be achieved.
But they’re not done yet. The seniors want a walking trail for safe physical activity. Then, there’s the baseball diamond, lights, shelter improvements, a potential community center, and yes, a youth employment program.
The Knights Hill community values its cultural heritage and has a huge sense of pride. They want their roots to grow deeper and stronger. “And that’s more than anything for me. That’s what I want to happen… something to be proud of…to see young people and elderly folks come to this park and just enjoy the stories that they bring.”
Visit the Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board Facebook page to keep with up with their progress.
Clearing a path to agricultural careers with a school-based community garden
Returning to your roots seems to be a recurring theme for many Wholespire Healthy Eating and Active Living Mini-Grant recipients. But that’s no surprise for those of us who were raised in rural communities. There’s something special about growing up in a small town that instills values like feeling a strong sense of community, trust, responsibility, and civic engagement, to name a few.
In Northern Beaufort County, there’s a close-knit community that goes back generations and has a long history in farming and agriculture. Whale Branch, or Seabrook, comprises low-income and food-insecure families. If you’ve ever taken a road trip to Beaufort, you’ve driven through the area and probably noticed farms, marshes, creeks and rivers. If you live close by, you’ve most likely gone there to buy fresh oysters, shrimp or blue crabs or to pick tomatoes or strawberries.
Farming and agriculture are disappearing there, thanks to land development. However, a local nonprofit composed of local farmers and descendants is trying to change that while feeding the community and empowering youth through a community garden at Whale Branch Middle School. Some may tell you it’s turning into more of a farm.
Connecting the past to the present
Heritage Community Farm (HCF) isn’t a farm, as the name might imply. It’s a nonprofit started by local volunteers to identify underutilized land in Beaufort County and develop community gardens for food security, education, economic opportunity, conservation and preservation. HCF President Catherine Isbell and some local farmers and businesspeople were inspired to create the nonprofit after attending a Clemson Extension leadership program. Initially, they focused on developing mini-farms, but realizing the infrastructure cost would be too much for a startup nonprofit, they decided to focus on community gardens.
Isbell, a former educator, explained they had identified Whale Branch Middle School as a partner because the campus, which is also home to Whale Branch Elementary School, had an unused greenhouse and the space for gardens. “And that’s how we changed from sort of a farm aspect to a community/education garden, and we’re almost farming now, aren’t we?”
According to the website, HCF Vice Chair Roy Green was raised on a farm and was taught at an early age the importance of growing your own fresh produce. He began farming alongside his mother and father at the age of five. He completed the South Carolina Master Gardner program through Clemson Cooperative Extension and shares a passion for growing vegetables.
“Yeah, yeah, I know a thing about farming. I have a rich heritage in farming,” explains Roy Green, vice chair of HCF. “My parents were farmers; coincidentally, my mom and dad grew up in that area. When there wasn’t a school there, it was farmland, so it all worked out that we could use that area…and working with youth, they can make the connection on what’s going on, tell their parents and grandparents about it and learn from them that they used to farm that land.”
HCF and Whale Branch Middle School started small and built on their successes one step at a time. From a few garden beds in disarray to multiple raised garden beds and a large, plowed field, the students are reaping the rewards in the classroom as the crops are shared within the community. And we’re not talking a little here or there. We’re talking about an abundance of produce shared year-round. HCF has managed to grow its volunteer base, get students involved outside the classroom, and keep their community garden project growing and thriving even when school is not in session.
Youth empowerment through education
A lot of work is involved in a large project like the community garden/farm at Whale Branch Middle School, but the students get more out of the work than they might realize. They are getting hands-on experience and relating it to science and math in an outdoor classroom environment. They are gaining valuable knowledge and skills in farming, agriculture and life, and some teachers are too.
“We do have a few teachers who consider themselves to have green thumbs, but we have a specific teacher who absolutely hates going outside,” says Jamie Allen, principal of Whale Branch Middle School. “By the end of the school year, she was wondering if her name was going to be on the schedule for her class to go out and either harvest or assist with planting, and so it has just taken on a whole life of its own, and people are excited.”
The teachers are receptive to using the garden as a teaching tool. Principal Allen says, “Some teachers have used it more so in conjunction with math. The science teachers have been using it for photosynthesis and the natural processes from seed to plant to table. So, sometimes it’s been content related, other times it’s just been life skills.”
Middle school is a time of transition for many 11- to 14-year-olds. They’re experiencing many changes, physically, cognitively and emotionally. They exhibit a wide range of characteristics as they navigate the transition from childhood to adolescence. Principal Allen says some students go into the garden with mixed feelings, but in the end, they love it.
“I have middle schoolers who are moody sometimes, and they don’t think they want to do it, or they don’t want other people to know that they think it’s cool. So, they might come out there grumbling and then arguing because they didn’t get a shovel or they want to plant some more seeds, but their experience oftentimes is, oh my gosh, we planted this and look what we’re pulling out of the ground. Harvesting and planting are definitely a highlight for the kids.”
Working with students and doing something good has many rewards for the volunteers. Ernie Wiggers, HCF chair, says, “It’s a lot of fun. It’s rewarding. You know, working in your garden. It’s great to work with young people and hear them talking about how their mom or grandmother cooks with certain products and stuff, and so I think it’s a nice addition to their educational experience, that’s for sure.”
The power of funding and donors
HCF has been working with Whale Branch Middle School for only a couple of years, yet they’ve already achieved great success with the help of funders, students, and community volunteers.
“The past year and in large part due to the grant that we got from Wholespire, it’s just been a year of tremendous growth for us. The grant provided us with funds to build four additional raised beds. We were able to shift some money that had been granted into other projects because we had donations that came through,” says Isbell. “As things expanded, so did our volunteer list. Working with Principal Allen and teachers has helped us coordinate the days that the kids come out and work with the volunteers.”
One of their secret weapons is the military. Beaufort is home to three military bases: Parris Island Marine Corps Base, Marine Corps Air Station and the Naval Hospital. Military personnel often volunteer to help out.
Wiggers proudly says, “One of our big volunteer groups, when we really have something large going on, and we need a lot of people power, is the local military bases. The military encourages their men and women to do volunteer work. They will come out in large groups, and we get some big projects done on those days.”
To plant a seed is to believe in the future
When asked what she hopes the students get from this experience in the long term, Principal Allen says, “To be able to live off of the land, to plant and harvest their own food, to see that we can actually do things besides going to the grocery store. There are actually a lot of careers out there that are aligned with agriculture, and, ultimately, I want them to be exposed to that. I want them to be able to take care of themselves in a future that we don’t know what it’ll look like and to be exposed to professional opportunities and to build a career out of it.”
Allen adds, “I believe that the impact on the students and the community will be much larger than we can imagine right now, you know, as our children grow and mature and have their own experiences. I do think it has a lifelong impact on the students who have gotten the opportunity to experience it.”
Perhaps a more important lesson for students is learning or being reminded that farming and agriculture are part of their heritage. Green reflects, “Where we grew up, farming was huge, and to see our kids learning more about how their parents and grandparents made a way, made their living with farming…and to hear Miss Allen say that now she can plant a garden because it’s not hard — it looks hard, but it’s not that hard. And if you put your mind to it and have the will and the labor to do it, you can do it.”
When people return to their roots, many take an interest in using their skills and knowledge to improve the quality of life for others to do something good. And that’s what’s happening at Whale Branch. Their desire for positive change can result in collaborative efforts and community development initiatives that make hometowns more vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous places to live.
As Principal Allen said, “We don’t know what the future holds. We want our children to be prepared for whatever there is to come in the future, and that does include agriculture.”
Visit the Heritage Community Farm Facebook page to see more!