2022 Elevate Upstate grant finalists announced

Ten at the Top (TATT) is excited to host their Annual Celebrating Successes event on Wednesday, November 16th.  At this event, the finalists for the 2022 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants will be honored. TATT seeks to recognize businesses, organizations and individuals who are helping make the Upstate a leading place to live, learn, do business and raise a family.

The five finalists were chosen from a total of 14 applications submitted for the two grants available in 2022. Hughes Investments is contributing at least $10,000 per year to the program with two recipients each year receiving $5,000 to support a new vibrancy initiative in the Upstate. The program began in 2013 in conjunction with a series of Community Vibrancy Workshops hosted by Ten at the Top. Since the inception of the grants program, Hughes Investments has contributed nearly $100,000 to community vibrancy initiatives across the Upstate.

Below are the five Elevate Upstate finalists that will present at this event:

“I” Marks the Spot Scavenger Hunt – City of Inman (Inman)

“I” Marks the Spot will be a scavenger hunt in our downtown/Historic district. Our vision for this project is to develop an interactive scavenger hunt in our downtown. We believe that this will be a value to our community in many ways. The plan is to use a combination of bronze peach place markers and “vanishing” paint to create an interactive scavenger hunt for people to use to explore our downtown and learn about important pieces of our history, along with current places of importance.

 Children’s Art in the Park – The Shaw Center (Clemson)

Neighborhood children will be invited to participate in painting individual boards to create a fun, diverse, and eclectic picket fence. The fence will serve as a backdrop for the park located in the middle of the neighborhood. They will be provided with a single board (already painted with primer), a variety of paint colors, a protective apron, and brushes and other painting supplies. They will be instructed to paint to represent their family, themselves, their neighborhood, things they love to do, Monarch butterflies – endless possibilities. We will also include educational information for them about Monarch butterflies and the recent recognition of Clemson as a Monarch City, so butterflies will be an option to include in their artwork. To incorporate an educational opportunity in collaboration with the SC Botanical Gardens, we plan to offer a field trip offered through the Littlejohn Community Center and CatBUS. The kids can apply what they learned by illustrating through painting on the fence boards. The Arts Center staff will also provide artists to help the kids brainstorm and sketch ideas before actually painting their boards.

Honea Path’s Got Talent – Town of Honea Path (Honea Path)

The Honea Path Planning Committee plans to reinstate a successful one-time event that happened over 6 years ago: Honea Path’s Got Talent. This one-season event was very popular, but the event organizer only intended to provide the event for one year. The Town of Honea Path is under new leadership for the past 3 years and has placed a high priority on revitalizing the downtown by adding and enhancing events that draw tourists from surrounding areas to Honea Path. Honea Path’s Got Talent will be a reinvented 6-week event allowing people of all ages and backgrounds in Honea Path and the surrounding areas to showcase their talent.

 Open Doors Studio Tours Spartanburg – Artists Collective of Spartanburg (Spartanburg)

The Open Doors Studio Tour is a chance to showcase the unique talents and diversity of the visual arts community of Spartanburg County. The Artists Collective Spartanburg is working with a committee of arts professionals and organizations from the area to establish the event. None of these organizations are funding Open Doors, and the event could be coordinated by any of these organizations in the future. The Open Doors Studio Tour is a self-guided 2-day event that is free to the public. Participating artists will open their studios to show and sell their work from 10 AM – 5 PM on Saturday, April 22, and from 12 – 5 PM on Sunday, April 23. Visitors will be directed by a map on the Open Doors Website, and a printed map inside the Open Doors catalog.

 Polar Experience – City of Clinton (Clinton)

With the closest movie theater being over 30-minutes away, many children in Clinton will never get to experience what it is like to see a movie on the big screen. However, by bringing the big screen to the depot, they could finally get to experience something magical.  The Polar Express is all about a magical experience that will be brought to life, not only for the children, but also for the adults. With hot cocoa all around and the chairs nicely spaced out with a chill in the air, nothing says winter is here like the Polar Express.

During this event on November 16th, the five finalists will each provide a brief overview of their initiative before the 2022 recipients are selected and announced. The Burdette Leadership Award and the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration recipients will also be honored at the event. After the conclusion of the program, there will be a reception for attendees to enjoy lunch and refreshments while networking with others from across the region.

The cost to attend this event is $20 and prior registration is required. The event will be held from 10:30 am -1:00 pm at the Greenville Convention Center. To register or for more information, go to www.tenatthetop.org or visit Successes2022.eventbrite.com

About Ten at the Top

Composed of public, private, and civic leaders from across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to connect and encourage regional collaboration through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to foster collaboration and strategic planning to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. For more information, visit www.tenatthetop.org.