Support Us / Funders & Sponsors
In 2017 we unveiled our legacy wall, a project that began with a collaboration between the Hayti Heritage Center and the Museum of Durham History. That project, “H is for Hayti,” opened at the Museum and was reimagined as an installation at Hayti. The legacy wall was made possible by individual and other community support. Those contributors are:
| St. Joseph A.M.E. Church Durham | St. Paul A.M.E. Church Chapel Hill |
| The Banks Law Firm | Kevin G. Montgomery |
| Lewis H. Myers | Cynthia Mebane-Watts |
| Himidi Productions LLC | Anna L. Wilson |
| Larry and Jo Ann Wilson | Marjorie Diggs Freeman |
| Stephen A. Wainwright | Eugene Farrar |
| Russell Blackwell | Howard and Lillian Lee |
| Earl and Linda Bynum | Reverend and Mrs. Casimir Brown |
| Bill and Heidrun Erwin | Durham Chapter, Jack & Jill of America |
| Edward D. Gomes, Jr. and Lois Deloatch | Reginald J. Leatherberry |
| Charles Ruffin, Jr. | Piedmont Investment Advisors, Inc. |
Also in 2017 Hayti became part of a beta cohort of six cultural arts organizations across the country that have received rigorous consulting and financial support through the LANE (Leveraging a Network for Equity) initiative. LANE was made possible by the National Performance Network, the Non Profit Finance Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This incredible opportunity has enabled Hayti to boldly reimagine the ways in which Hayti can broaden and deepen its impact in the African American community and in the arts community, in Durham and beyond. This four-year initiative has helped sustain Hayti particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic while Hayti’s doors have been closed to the public. Key facility upgrades and enhancements continue to be made during this time, and we look forward to the time when we all can gather once again at Hayti and enjoy quality programs in our beautiful, historic space.
Since April 2020 Hayti has presented virtual arts programs in order to support artists during the pandemic, and in order to continue engaging our patrons and the community. Programs such as Piano & a Poet, Don’t Stop the Music, and Healthy Hayti have demonstrated our continued commitment to keeping the arts alive, as we know that the arts are essential to our well-being. The Green Book Project, a collaborative effort with the NC Heritage Commission, included and exhibition and the Chitlin’ Circuit Review, while providing a key opportunity for all of us to learn more about the history of the Green Book in NC. Jambalaya Soul, our poetry slam team, recently resumed performances with limited outdoor audiences, maintaining safety protocols for artists and audiences.
Our film series launched with virtual film presentations and recently featured a drive-in movie that provided a much needed outdoor activity that was safe and entertaining. These films are previews of what to expect at our 2021 Heritage Film Festival, for which plans are well underway.
JOIN THE DONORS CIRCLE today! For as little as $10 you can support the Festival and its vision to become internationally known and respected as the premier film festival for Black Southern film and filmmakers. For additional information visit haytifilmfest.org or info@hayti.org. Our Donors Circle members:
| Anonymous | Holly Ewell Lewis | Lana Garland | Quentin Talley |
| Anonymous | Kirsten Mullen | Ruby Sinreich | Rhonda Lee |
| Clare & Michael Matti | Aidil Ortiz | Anna Lee |
We are so grateful to our donors for your support in 2019 and in a very challenging 2020. We are also grateful for our Friends of Hayti for your recurring donations for the last three or more consecutive years. The Hayti Heritage Center has been closed to the public since mid-March; however, your support enabled us to develop virtual and live streamed programs that have been presented since April. We acknowledge everyone who donated via facebook and those who gave anonymously. Thank you ALL for keeping Hayti connected to our community with your gift amounts from $10.00 to $25,000. The arts matter!
| Russell Blackwell – Chapel Hill, NC | E’Vonne Coleman Cook – Durham, NC |
| Carlton Dudley – Durham, NC | Eugene Farrar – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Marjorie Diggs Freeman – Durham, NC | Sandra Gentry – Durham, NC |
| Edward Gomes, Jr. – Durham, NC | Reginald J. Leatherberry – Durham, NC |
| Angela Lee – Chapel Hill, NC | Howard and Lillian Lee – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Erick and Shea Lewis – Durham, NC | Jenny Levine – Durham, NC |
| Melody Little – Durham, NC | Lewis Myers – Durham, NC |
| Kevin G. Montgomery – Durham, NC | John and Johnnie T. Ponder – Durham, NC |
| John C. Rogers – Durham, NC | Benjamin F. Speller – Durham, NC |
| Beverly B. Thompson – Hillsborough, NC | Anna L. Wilson – Durham, NC |
| Larry, Jr. and Joann Wilson – Durham, NC | Katherine Spencer Wright – Durham, NC |
| The Banks Law Firm, P.A. – Durham, NC | Durham Chapter Jack & Jill of America, Inc. – Durham, NC |
| Himidi Productions – Durham, NC |
| The Estate of Ann Henderson Brockenborough – Cary, NC |
We also acknowledge our volunteers who have contributed countless hours in support of Hayti programming: the annual Hayti Heritage Film Festival, the annual Kwanzaa celebration, Jambalaya Soul spoken word and poetry slam performances, the annual NC Jazz Ensemble Holiday Performance, the annual Black History: Artists’ Perspectives exhibition, and other visual and performing arts programs. We are very grateful for your tremendous support.
| Melanie Allen – Durham, NC | Katelyn Ander – Durham, NC |
| Allen Anderson – Chapel Hill, NC | Philip Azar – Durham, NC |
| Allie Balling – Durham – NC | Sherrod Banks – Durham, NC |
| Diane Baron – Durham, NC | Ruthene Bellamy – Durham, NC |
| Andrea Benjamin – Oklahoma City, OK | Andrew Berger-Gross – Raleigh, NC |
| Nancy Blood – Durham, NC | Sarah Broz – Durham, NC |
| Genita Burroughs – Raleigh, NC | Joe & Rose Bynum – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Faye Calhoun – Durham, NC | Francis Carayol – Columbus, NM |
| Cynthia Carter – Durham, NC | Shirley Chambers – Durham, NC |
| E’Vonne Coleman – Durham, NC | Saundra Cropps – Durham, NC |
| Crista Cuccaro – Durham, NC | Thomas DeFrantz – Durham, NC |
| Marguerite Dingman – Durham, NC | Janice Dodds – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jessy Durizch – Durham, NC | Erin Durkin – Durham, NC |
| Robin Emmons – Durham, NC | Bill & Heidrun Erwin – Durham, NC |
| Monyia Essence Durham, NC | Lauren Ettson – Durham, NC |
| DeDreana Freeman – Durham, NC | Jennifer Gardner – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Sandra Gentry – Durham, NC | Edward Gomes, Jr. – Durham, NC |
| Dr. Cheryl Gooch – Wilmington, DE | Amy Gorely – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Chandra Guinn – Durham, NC | Gerald Harris – Whitsett, NC |
| Gloria Harrison – Fayetteville, NC | James Haverkamp – Durham, NC |
| Sandi Haynes – Durham, NC | Dean Herington – Hillsborough, NC |
| Sarah Hiller – Durham, NC | Tama Hochbaum – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Amanda Huber – Chapel Hill, NC | Gregory Jacobs – Durham, NC |
| Gail Jennings – Durham, NC | Marion Jervay – Durham, NC |
| Dan Jewell – Durham, NC | Leslie Johnson – Cary, NC |
| Gina Johnson – Durham, NC | Jereann Johnson – Warrenton, NC |
| Purusha Jones – Durham, NC | Mandisa Jones, New York, NY |
| Roshna Keen – Chapel Hill, NC | Kimberly Korzen-Varin – Durham, NC |
| Reginald Leatherberry – Durham, NC | Karin Lee – Muncie, IN |
| Angela Lee – Chapel Hill, NC | Howard & Lillian Lee – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Rhonda Lee – Durham, NC | Mary Lemay – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jenny Levine – Durham, NC | Erick & Shea Lewis – Durham, NC |
| Ciara Lutz – Durham, NC | Emily Marvin – Durham, NC |
| Michael & Claire Matti – Durham, NC | Chris McLeod – Chapel Hill, NC |
| Andrea Mullen – Durham, NC | Lewis & Cheryl Myers – Durham, NC |
| Cynthia Neal – Durham, NC | Mel Norton – Durham, NC |
| Susan Orovitz – Durham, NC | Aidil Ortiz – Durham, NC |
| Ellie Pate – Boston, MA | Laura Ritchie – Durham, NC |
| Rose & Dean Ritts – Philadelphia, PA | John Rogers – Durham, NC |
| Susan Saenger – Durham, NC | Sheryl Scrimsher – Durham, NC |
| Eli Seed – Durham, NC | Linda Sherck – Durham, NC |
| Timothy Skapek – Durham, NC | Evelyn Slappy – Durham, NC |
| Helen Stewart – Raleigh, NC | Jeanette Stokes – Durham, NC |
| Albert Strong IV – Durham, NC | Mary Paul Thomas – Garner, NC |
| Beverly Thompson – Hillsborough, NC | Peter Principe & Dawn Trembath – Durham, NC |
| Theresa Turner – Durham, NC | Laura Vepraskas – Durham, NC |
| Sangodare Wallace – Durham, NC | Doris Washington – Washington, DC |
| Constance Welch – Durham, NC | Jodi Wert – Durham, NC |
| Jessica Williams – Houston, TX | Katie Wright – Durham, NC |
| Mary Wright – Durham, NC | Marge Yanker – Chapel Hill, NC |
| William Young – Durham, NC | St. Joseph AME Church – Durham, NC |
| Durham Chapter – Durham, NC | Portfolio LLC – Durham, NC |
| S. Braxton Enterprises, LLC – Huntersville, NC |
Preserving the legacy of St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center is integral to our mission. Endowment and estate gift funds are an effective way of ensuring that preservation.
Hayti was the recipient of a charitable bequest in 2019 from a longtime patron and Durham resident. Such gifts have a tremendous impact and strengthen the organization’s foundation as it continues serve the Hayti and surrounding communities.
An endowment of general support helps us sustain the 34,000 sf facility, and enables us to restore it to its full splendor.
Endowment funds may also be designated specifically to match our current GlaxoSmithKline Endowment to support dance programming and Hayti’s Chuck Davis Dance Emporium.
For more information on endowment and estate gift support, please contact info@hayti.org so that we can connect you with qualified financial professionals who will assist you on behalf of St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation.
During the last few months, while Hayti is closed to the public, we have engaged several companies in an assessment of the condition of our pews and other equipment in our historic Performance Hall. We are seeking funding to repair and restore the pews over the next several months. Your contribution through a pew dedication in honor or memory of an individual or organization will provide support to ensure that this important work is completed, and that a plaque will be added to a beautifully restored pew. Please contact info@hayti.org for additional information.
Corporate or organization sponsorships of the historic Performance Hall are available with naming rights for: one year; three year; or five year increments. Add your name to this beautiful, acoustically flawless venue for patrons and visitors to see throughout the year(s). Contact info@box2378.temp.domains or 919-683-1709 for information.
Hayti presents nine core programs annually. Sponsor support is key to sustaining these visual and performing arts, arts education and community outreach programs. Let us customize a sponsorship package for your company or organization for one or more of our programs. Partnerships are welcome.
