Building Blocks

Simple ideas to beautify the Port City

Imagine if while you were walking through downtown Wilmington, there was something new and interesting to encounter around each corner. Like a park in front of the post office downtown, an interactive water fountain for children or a mobile sculpture that hangs between the rooftops.

This is the scene described by Wilmington artist Jill Webb when she explains the vision of 1,000 PEOPLE WHO CARE, a local non-profit organization focused on facilitating the beautification and enhancement of downtown Wilmington.

Officially founded by Silkwood Inc. owner Kevin Rhodes and interior designer Gay Adair, 1,000 People Who Care hopes to inspire Wilmington residents to re-imagine what they are capable of producing in the community. Starting with a property on 2nd and Market streets, nine board members and various volunteers transformed an empty concrete lot, planting trees and knee-high grasses to create a more visually pleasing space.

The organization followed a six-month-long process to gain approval for the project, which involved obtaining permission from the property owner, Harold Wells, sending out more than 50 letters to surrounding businesses and presenting plans to the Historic Preservation Commission.

Webb and two other members, Greg Wessel, a biotechnology sales manager and Cape Fear Formalwear owner Jeff Hovis, joined the movement. 

The funds for their first project were largely donated by the Wells family, in addition to donations made at small fundraising parties and contributions made by 1,000 People board members themselves. 

 “It is called 1,000 People Who Care to make note of the fact that if you get 1,000 people to donate $100, you will have $100,000 to make a major impact in Wilmington,” Wessel said.

Webb has several ideas for the future, one being a an interactive water fountain and park for children.

“The Riverwalk is beautiful, but it does not work for me with small children. There is nothing downtown that can hold their attention long enough for me to sit down for five minutes,” she said. She wants to create something appropriate, attractive and fun to meet this need.

“I thought: what if it is invisible? Something as simple as water jets shooting out of the ground,” she said.

The plan for their next project is to improve the grounds in front of the U.S. Post Office downtown by designing landscaping that will complement the prominent building and create an inviting atmosphere for people to sit and read their mail or simply enjoy a beautiful day on Front Street.

“People say, ‘Oh you can’t do that here.’ But, why not?” Hovis said. “We want to inspire and facilitate others to take on projects like these.”