Funding Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
It’s always fun as a donor to know exactly where your funds are going to be distributed and how your money will make an impact, regardless of the size of your donation. Because we have been promoting ticket sales and participation at the Annual Blues & BBQ for Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, we sat down with the Executive Director, Ahmad Ward, to find out how the funds that are raised on April 6 will be used.
A quick background for those of you that are unfamiliar with Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park — Mitchelville is an area on Hilton Head Island that was the first self-governed community of formerly enslaved people in the United States. It is widely celebrated as the birthplace of freedom in America. This historic park has museum-like attractions across the park and seeks to educate all visitors about the original inhabitants who were Gullah people, typically descendants of West Africans and former slaves. The historic site is full of natural, Lowcountry beauty, and a tourist site that can be self-guided or with a curator. The Annual Blues & BBQ festival is Historic Mitchelville’s Annual fundraising event!
According to Mr. Ward, the funds raised at this event will go towards:
A new initiative called The Mitchelville School Outreach Project, of which there are three major components: elementary outreach, middle school, and high school leadership.
“How’ell (as in Fort Howell-a play on words) Do You Know Hilton Head Island History” geared towards Middle School kids includes history of the environment where they go on hikes and history of the people and land and ties that all together.
MAGIC: Modeling our Ancestors to Generate and Influence Change is a leadership program for high school students. This summer, MAGIC students will be leading tours at the park.
The money raised will be used to fund equipment, personnel, and supplies so that we can take the important history to put it in the schools, especially those who cannot afford buses and transportation. These programs will go to those schools when the schools cannot come to Mitchelville.
It’s estimated they will need about $50,000 for the next school year so the Mitchelville team can come out to those schools and be more of a supplemental resource for the teachers.
This is a very proactive approach. According to Mr. Ward, “We know that outreach is a very powerful tool. Children will go home and talk to their parents. The students become our ambassadors. If you get the outreach system clicking, it works for all of us.”
The Historic Mitchelville future masterplan includes an interpretive center, which is a 18,000 square foot building that will house many attractions, including an interactive museum. The price tag for that building is $12 Million, with the cost for the entire master plan/project being $23 million. Fortunately, they have already raised millions and are waiting to hear about a $12 Million government funding source to cover the cost of the interpretive center. They are keeping a positive outlook that it will come through! (We are, too!)
There will be construction in the park this year including: the church reflection area, ghosted structures of original Mitchelville homes, an interpretive garden area, classroom/archelogical building, and a theater that will seat 80 people that will host youth program classrooms.
Also planned for the near future is a public art contest, which will result in permanent art displayed on the walking trail which leads to the beach (with a cash prize!) Details for that project are coming out late spring/early summer. So, stay tuned!