Greenway Names Adventure Center in Honor of Partnership with Hampton Wildlife Fund
Naming Recognizes the Statewide Non-Profit for its $300,000 commitment to Greenway Operations, Facility Upgrades and Endowment
The Anne Springs Close Greenway Adventure Center is the latest facility within the local nature preserve to receive a new name. The Greenway recently installed signage signaling a name change at the Greenway’s epicenter for children’s programming and summer camps. The outdoor learning hub is now known as the Hampton Wildlife Fund Adventure Center, recognizing a $300,000 commitment to the Greenway from the Hampton Wildlife Fund, whose mission is to promote the education, research, management and the administration of wildlife in South Carolina. The financial commitment supports the Greenway’s ongoing operations and endowment, as well as facility upgrades at the Adventure Center. Funds from the endowment assist in offsetting the Greenway’s annual financial loss and provide funding for the Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. (LSC) Bridge Program, a financial assistance program for area individuals and families whose circumstances may qualify them for free or reduced membership and program costs.
In 2011, the Anne Springs Close Greenway was gifted the John Deere facility located near the Bob Reid Field Trial Barn and renovated it into a space for youth recreation and education. The renamed Adventure Center has since transformed into a home base where thousands experience nature-based recreation and education programming through summer camps, scout groups and adult education opportunities; it has become one of the busiest facilities on the Greenway.
“This facility and the adjacent forests, ponds and trails of the Greenway offer a perfect opportunity to give children and adults alike the tools and resources to experience and appreciate the outdoors in the spirit of Harry Hampton’s connection with nature,” explains Samantha Kowert, Advancement Director for the Anne Springs Close Greenway. “We are grateful for this partnership and financial support to enhance this kind of programming for children and adults in our community.”
“The Hampton Wildlife Fund board of directors and I are very excited that the Adventure Center on the Anne Springs Close Greenway benefitting local youth has been named for the Hampton Wildlife Fund (HWF),” said Jim Goller of Beaufort, the Fund’s executive director. “This is a culmination of many years of hard work led by Mr. Elliott Close and Mr. Tommy Hardwick Jr., both HWF board members, and aided by a large committee of tireless, dedicated volunteers of the HWF Fort Mill Conservation Banquet Committee. It is they who deserve all the credit.”
About Leroy Springs & Company, Inc.
For more than 75 years, Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. has provided affordable, quality recreation and community activities and facilities in the region home to the historic Springs Cotton Mills. Today, Leroy Springs is headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, and provides the next generation with similar recreation opportunities, including the Springs Golf course portfolio (Chester, Fort Mill, Lancaster, Springfield), the Anne Springs Close Greenway, and Springmaid Mountain (Spruce Pine, NC). Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. provides financial assistance for its recreation opportunities through the Leroy Springs Bridge Program, which awarded $186,000 in financial assistance in 2019. For more information, visit LeroySprings.com.
About Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund
The Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation which partners with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the promotion of education, research, management and the administration of game and fish laws, which will benefit conservation of wildlife, marine and other natural resources in South Carolina. For more information, visit their website.