Achievers
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County has announced that Forsyth County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $196.3 million in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. That economic activity — $101.4 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $94.9 million in event-related spending by their audiences — supported 2,472 jobs and generated $34.1 million in local, state and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.
Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry.
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Nationally, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study reveals that America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry- one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.
Announcements
Hearn Plaza at Wake Forest University will soon be filled with young children donning colorful Halloween costumes as part of Project Pumpkin. This year’s event will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 24.
The student-led program will welcome more than 500 children to campus who attend Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools or afterschool programs at nonprofit organizations, including the Salvation Army and Latino Community Services.
Children will visit dozens of activity booths organized by Wake Forest University student groups and departments. This year’s theme is Under The Sea.
Awards
Winston-Salem Historic Inns has announced that one of their properties, Summit Street Inns, comprised of the Jacob L. and Myra Ludlow House and Benjamin J. and Rosa H. Sheppard House, is the award recipient of the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from Perservation NC. Owners Eric Alspaugh and Lou Baldwin accepted the award at Preservation NC’s Annual Conference, held Oct. 4.
This milestone is “a major move for Winston-Salem Historic Inns on its mission to uphold the authenticity and integrity of historical homes in Winston-Salem.”
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Three economic development professionals across North Carolina, including Dale Carroll and Bob Leak Jr., were awarded the Lifetime Service Award from the North Carolina Economic Development Association. The Lifetime Service Award recognizes members making significant and valued contributions above and beyond expectations during their membership to NCEDA. The recipients were announced at the association’s fall conference in Asheville on Oct. 10.
With more than 40 years of leadership experience in the private sector, nonprofit corporations and government, Carroll has been a leader in economic development in North Carolina for many years. From 2009 to 2013, Carroll served as deputy commerce secretary and chief operating officer at Commerce. Prior to that, he was the president & CEO of the AdvantageWest Economic Development Partnership for more than 10 years and served almost 20 years with CP&L and Progress Energy.
Leak has been active for more than 30 years in the economic development community in North Carolina, serving as president of Winston-Salem Business from 1989 to 2020 and most recently as the president and CEO of Whitaker Park Development Authority.
Grants
This year, a dozen North Carolina school districts will benefit from a total of $800,000 in grants aimed at developing student skills in computer science through coding. The Coding and Mobile App Development Grant program, launched in 2017 with funding from the General Assembly, supports partnerships with local businesses to help schools develop computer science, coding and mobile app development programs for middle and high school students.
The grants, which range from $27,000 to $80,000 this year, help districts and schools purchase equipment, digital materials and cover the costs associated with teacher professional development to build capacity in coding, computer science and mobile application development initiatives.
Local recipients include: Mount Airy City Schools, $56,322; and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, $80,000.
On the Move
- Christopher H. Kiwus has been named vice president for facilities, real estate and planning at Wake Forest University. Kiwus currently serves as vice president for campus planning, infrastructure and facilities at Virginia Tech. He will begin his new role on Jan. 1.
- Josh Plummer has joined Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey as an associate. He earned his J.D. degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2023, and while attending, he was a teaching assistant, research assistant and participated in the veteran’s legal clinic.
- L. J. Rush, who has served as a culinary instructor and interim program director of GTCC’s culinary and hospitality department, has been named the department’s program director. Rush has an associate degree from Wilkes Community College, with a diploma as a food preparation specialist.
- Under a new initiative, RiverRun International Film Festival has named Sudanese filmmaker Fatima Wardy as its first BIPOC Fellow. Wardy will curate a program of four to six films by Black, indigenous and other filmmakers of color to screen for free during RiverRun’s 2024 festival (April 18-27, 2024).