Leon Steele: Did you know? Part 1
Original photo credit: Lindsay Corrigan
Today we launch a series of shorties entitled Did You Know? focusing on the revitalization of downtown Kinston, NC and the work that Pride of Kinston undertakes to make our downtown and community better. We hope you enjoy them.
Did you know that Pride of Kinston is a non-profit? We are a 501c3. Most do not realize this. Some people think we are a for-profit organization that hosts epic events like Summerfest, the Christmas Parade, Christmas Lights in Pearson Park, Kinston’s New Year’s Eve gala, and the Halloween and Mardi Gras pub crawls, and that we get a bit of funding from the City. We do those things, but we are much more than that.
We are a member of the NC Main Street program in the Department of Commerce, therefore we are a downtown revitalization organization focused on the health of our historic commercial district, which happens to be a National Register Historic Commercial District, so we work within the context of historic preservation. While our focus is downtown, our vision is community-driven and volunteer-powered.
NC Main Street hosts an annual State Conference as well as regional meetings throughout the year. Anyone can attend. We are hosting a regional meeting in August of 2021 here in Kinston for over 90 guests. Because of all we do and the impact Pride of Kinston brings to the community as a whole, we are actually a community economic development organization.
Our board is comprised of community influencers that include downtown merchants and property owners as well as the City Manager, a City Councilperson, the City Planner, a County Commission representative, Chamber of Commerce, and at-large citizens who share our mission and vision for a healthy, vibrant downtown.
We function with four primary committees. These are design, organization, promotions, and economic vitality with each chaired by a board member and populated by citizen volunteers with a special interest and/or skill in those areas along with other volunteers who want to be part of our organization.
Pride of Kinston downtown revitalization is an open and welcoming organization to anyone who shares our vision and wants to be actively engaged in making a positive impact downtown. Anyone wanting to serve on the board should first become involved in one of our committees to learn how our structured system functions.
Everything Pride of Kinston does affects everyone, not just downtown. When we plan an event or project, we keep these questions in mind: will it bring locals downtown, will it bring visitors to Lenoir County, what beneficial impacts will we see for our organization and our community (financial, positivity, visual, experiential), and from how far away will they come?
