Rise Risley Newsletter

Strong Community Backing Sets the Foundation for Rise Risley's Future

Community Unity Shines in Growing Gatherings Thanks to all of you – our many coalition partners and volunteers who donated thousands of hours in service and support to help us reach an exciting new level of reality for the Rise Risley community resource and arts center!

MLK Arts Festival on Rise Risley Campus, January 13, 2024

Community Engagement In a pivotal series of recent public meetings and events, attendees learned about what’s happening at Brunswick’s four-plus-acre Rise Risley campus. Listed on the National Park Service’s National Registry of Historic Places, the innovative redevelopment taking place will transform the property into a centralized hub of services and resources for those most in need in the community.

Rise Risley Community Meeting, July 2023

Local gatherings in 2023 involved residents, church representatives, Risley school alumni, collaborative partners, business leaders and civic organizers who represented a diversity of interests. Consistent support continues to pour in for the Rise Risley initiative as an imperative solution to help break cycles of poverty in Glynn County.

Rise Risley Update, Mid-Town NPA, Brunswick, July 27, 2023

The Next Phase for Rise Risley

Architects, engineers, grant writers, and visionaries are converging in a collaborative effort to solidify the foundation and next phase for our community center.

Meet the Architects of Change Leading the next phase of the redevelopment initiative, Henderson and Company is no stranger to large-scale community redevelopment that generates positive impact for communities just like ours. Founder Irvin Henderson is revered throughout the country, having established a highly regarded project-management firm with more than 30 years of experience in community redevelopment, project design, and historic preservation.

“We’ve been involved with projects that take our teams from Wall Street to Main Street,” said Irvin Henderson, Principal, Henderson and Company.

“Our work is deeply meaningful to us personally, as we endeavor to make a difference to underserved neighborhoods and bring positive economic impacts that reverberate throughout entire communities.”

Henderson, together with CPA and Project Manager, Kevin Krulewitch, are spearheading the Rise Risley initiative, which began as a community-wide call for action toward the next chapter of intensive groundwork.

The Rise Risley internal budget anticipates an investment expenditure of approximately $750,000 for necessary predevelopment activities. These include: architectural and engineering studies for the campus, proposed reuse options, cost estimation, historic preservation grant writing, a fundraising planning study, environmental analysis and mitigation, preliminary underwriting by Community Development Entities and potential tax credit investors, and community engagement activities.

As we lay these essential groundwork elements, we encourage you to forward this newsletter to others to spread the word of work ahead!

Raising Hopes and Friends Brick by Brick Our friendraising campaign is underway!

If you’re wondering how to help build something transformative and long- lasting in our community, lay the foundation of your support with enduring, engraved bricks that will remain for generations.

For as little as $25, you can purchase a personalized brick that will be installed during the landscaping phase of our project.

Your brick will become a lasting symbol of your dedication to our community and the impact you’ve made on Rise Risley’s future.

Your brick can be imprinted with your name, business or organization, or in memory, honor or recognition of loved ones.

Order early to become one of the founding bricklayers for Rise Risley!

Scan or click the code to get started!

If you prefer to pay by check, CLICK HERE or go to: https://donate.brickmarkers.com/rise to download a printable order form.

Mailing/drop-off instructions are included on the order form.

You may also pick up an order form from the Reception Desk at 1 Community Action Drive, Suite A; Brunswick, GA.

About Rise Risley

The Rise Risley Community of Hope is a consortium initiated in 2018 by Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority, Inc., which has grown to include more than 125 organizations and individual supporters today. Rise Risley is progressing toward the creation of a community resource and arts center to help uplift families from poverty, raise education levels, increase economic security, foster family stability and help children and families thrive.

1 Community Action Drive P.O. Box 2016 Brunswick, Georgia 31520 912-264-3281

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