By: McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life
Gail Wilson Awan, President and CEO of Urban League of the Upstate
Apr 5, 2024
The Featured Projects series focuses on historic preservation projects focused on preserving Black history throughout SC. Each project is asked to respond to four prompts. We hope this series helps bring awareness to the stunning number and variety of preservation projects being undertaken across the state, highlights the dedication of our community leaders, and inspires future generations of projects.
Want to feature your preservation project? Send us an email here.
| Provide a brief summary of your project, making sure to include why it’s important for African American historic preservation. |
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| The Urban League of the Upstate’s McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life is focusing on addressing healthcare and wellness disparities for Black people and the underserved living in the Upstate of South Carolina by emphasizing programs around the five social determinants of health: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, social and community context. The physical location in the renovated, historic McClaren Medical shelter in downtown Greenville, SC will serve as a hub for services, education, and outreach efforts (and is receiving its Historical Marker status). The McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life is currently developing core programming (five programs are confirmed) and completing renovations on the facility in early 2025. The physical space will include a multimedia Cultural and Historical Literacy Center displaying historic contributions of Black citizens to the Upstate’s growth and development on the lower floor. This interactive center will educate, inspire, and motivate aspiring leaders towards building a better quality of life for the underserved communities in our region. The upper floor is a hub for ULUS and its partners to address Upstate health disparities—by offering programming on site and as a resource center for initiatives happening throughout the region. The upper floor maintains its original design of “patient rooms” but is being renovated to provide multiple functions. Four spaces will be activated for specific health and wellness related services, bolstered by a reception/waiting area and the ULUS office. |
| What motivated you/your community/your team to begin this project? |
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| The building where the Institute will be headquartered was built by Dr. Edward E. McClaren in 1949 and served as the only clinic for Black people in the area during the Jim Crow era. As part of the McClaren Apartments’ development project in that block of downtown Greenville, the building was moved to accommodate construction and then donated to the Urban League of the Upstate. After being given the McClaren Medical Shelter, this historically significant property to the cultural history of Black citizens in Greenville County, the moment was right to respond to the health and cultural literacy needs and requests of the communities we serve. It became an ideal moment to put into motion a plan to fight the health inequity epidemic as we experience it here in the Upstate. The Urban League of the Upstate (ULUS) has reorganized its work so that it is both nationally aligned and locally relevant, focusing on the National Urban League’s signature programs to enhance health and quality of life for the underserved. The mission of the ULUS is to advance equity by empowering the Black community and underserved individuals throughout the region. The National Urban League is laser-focused on Health Equity as a key initiative, supporting local efforts through funding, advocacy, andprogramming. The McClaren Institute for Health & Quality of Life is fighting for change and equity, one partnership at a time. This new facility and programmatic hub will tackle health inequity head-on. |
| What challenges have you faced in this project? |
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| Initially, the multi-faceted nature of the project with multiple partners and interests made it challenging to condense messaging in a way that was meaningful for potential donors and supporters. Now that we have coalesced our messaging, we are moving into a heavy fundraising phase with major needs to facilitate the physical renovation and construction efforts. We are hopeful the mission and goals of the project will attract the right funding bodies swiftly. |
| How have you solved problems and found solutions? What advice would you give to others doing this kind of work? |
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| On a project like this with so many stakeholders, it is crucial to have the right leadership in place and we have that with our campaign committee. We also worked to find the right partners to help us with the specific messaging and fundraising challenges addressed. Communication and clarity are essential in a project with so many elements and interests. |
| For more…. |
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| Here is a link to the ISSUU version of our Case for Support while we are building the website portion of the campaign: https://issuu.com/tealhaus/docs/ul_case_for_support_v6-onlinepub |