About the Foundation   Play Works! The Richland County Recreation Commission is a vital part of the Richland County community.    Bringing people together creates connections and develops relationships around shared values, trust, and a sense of belonging.  These ties strengthen us as individuals, families, and neighbors thus enhancing the greater community in which we live. This is what the Richland County Recreation Foundation strives to do every day through a wide variety of programs for children and adults in the community.

‘Community’ is vital for human development and refers to those human connections often referred to as social capital. “We must learn to view the world through a social capital lens. We need to look at front porches as crime fighting tools, treat picnics as public health efforts and see choral groups as occasions of democracy.”  (BetterTogether.org, an initiative of the Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government).

Play Works!! While children play, laugh, and have fun they are also learning how to share, cooperate, and get along with one another. While adults benefit from the fitness that comes with sports and aerobics classes, they are also interacting on a personal level with other adults who bring different experiences and values, thus learning from one another and growing. While seniors and retirees enjoy traveling with groups or playing cards, they are avoiding isolation and maintaining healthy links to friends and neighbors.  The network of public parks, recreation facilities and programs provided by the Richland County Recreation Commission create an environment where these things can happen, creating opportunities for fellowship and goodwill, friendship and mutual understanding.

There is a deeper meaning and purpose to leisure pursuits.  Play benefits both the individual and the larger community.  Play works!

The Recreation Foundation is committed to attracting private funding to strengthen the life-enriching, community-building programs offered by the Recreation Commission. 

Current fundraising efforts will support three main areas of activity:

1. Combat Youth Obesity
   For the first time in decades, this generation is predicted to have a shorter lifespan than their parents!  Through our afterschool programs, we will support fun and healthy initiatives that focus on increased activity and good food choices. Through a partnership with the University of South Carolina, we will implement the GoodBodies program at several afterschool sites.
3. Adaptive Recreation
   Adaptive recreation programs will help support children, adults and military families who need accessible recreation opportunities to stay fit, healthy, and happy.
5. Green is Good
   Working and living in ways that nurture our environment should become second nature to us all.  We will support sustainable policies throughout the agency that protect our invaluable public spaces, help beautify our parks, and enable park patrons to engage in green-friendly practices, such as composting and native-plant and drought-tolerant gardening.

Donations made to the Foundation are tax deductible to the extent permitted by IRS regulations.  All donations will be acknowledged in writing, which can serve as documentation for tax purposes.

Richland County Recreation Foundation Board Members
Foundation Board:
Yvonne Hall, Chair
Dr. Clyde Stockton, Vice Chair
Regina Corley, Secretary/Treasurer
Randy Davis
J. Marie Green
Wilbert Lewis

Principal Offices of the Foundation:
5819 Shakespeare Road | Columbia, SC 29223 | View Map

Richland County Recreation Commission Foundation
Attn: Cynthia M. Robinson, Executive Director
7492 Parklane Road
Columbia, SC 29223
Phone: (803) 462-0064
Fax: (803) 462-1109
Email: cynthia@rcrc.state.sc.us

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