AIMING HIGHER FOR COMMUNITY
Case for Investment
Bethlehem Center
A Legacy of Hope. A Future of Impact.
Mission: To support, strengthen, and inspire individuals and families by facilitating opportunities for personal and community advancement.
Together, We Build Tomorrow.
Together, We Leave a Legacy.
This is more than a capital campaign.
It is a community-wide investment in children who deserve every opportunity to succeed.
It is an investment in parents working to build brighter futures.
It is an investment in older adults whose wisdom continues to strengthen our neighborhoods.
It is an investment in Highland's continued transformation.
Most importantly, it is an investment in people.
Together, we can ensure that the Bethlehem Center continues serving Spartanburg—not just for the next decade, but for the next century.
Core Values
• Rooted in History • Built on Faith
• Driven by Compassion • Guided by Service
• Focused on the Future • Committed to Impact
• Inspired by Community • Sustained by Partnership
WHY THE BETHLEHEM CENTER? WHY HIGHLAND:? WHY NOW?
Highland's Next Century Begins Here.
A Legacy of Hope. A Future of Opportunity. An Investment in People.
For nearly a century, the Bethlehem Center has stood at the heart of Highland—not simply as a building, but as a trusted neighbor, a gathering place, and a source of hope for generations of Spartanburg families. Children have learned here. Families have found support here. Seniors have remained connected here. Community has been built here.
Today, Highland stands at another defining moment.
As Spartanburg continues to experience unprecedented growth and investment, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to ensure that Highland's families share in that progress. The decisions we make today will shape whether future generations have access to opportunity, quality education, economic mobility, and the support systems they need to thrive.
The question before us is not whether Highland deserves investment.
It is whether we will invest boldly enough to ensure that every child, every family, and every senior has the opportunity to succeed for the next century.
More Than a Building—A Community's Future
The current Bethlehem Center has faithfully served the Highland community for generations. Within its walls, countless lives have been changed through early childhood education, youth development, family support, senior engagement, and community partnerships.
Yet the needs of today's families are dramatically different than they were when the existing facility was built.
Parents need access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education so they can remain in the workforce.
Children need safe spaces where learning continues beyond the classroom.
Families need financial coaching, workforce development, behavioral health services, and pathways to long-term stability.
Older adults need opportunities to remain healthy, engaged, and connected to their community.
The current building was never designed to provide these comprehensive services under one roof.
The new Bethlehem Center is not simply replacing an aging facility.
It is creating a modern, accessible, purpose-built Community Impact Center designed to meet the evolving needs of Highland and Spartanburg for the next hundred years.
This investment is not about constructing a building.
It is about creating opportunity.
Why This Investment Matters Now
Across Highland, momentum is building.
The City-approved Highland Transformation Plan, Movement 2030, neighborhood revitalization efforts, public investments, and private partnerships are creating unprecedented opportunities to strengthen one of Spartanburg's most historic communities.
Bethlehem Center serves as one of the cornerstone institutions within that vision.
The new campus will become a multi-generational community hub where education, workforce development, family support, health and wellness, senior engagement, and community partnerships come together in one place.
Every investment made today helps ensure that Highland's residents are active participants in the neighborhood's transformation—not simply observers of it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create lasting community impact.
A Vision for Community Impact
The new Bethlehem Center represents a $24 million investment in Highland's future—a purpose-built campus designed to strengthen children, families, and seniors while supporting the broader goals of Highland's long-term revitalization.
The new center will:
Expand access to high-quality early childhood education and kindergarten readiness.
Strengthen two-generation programming that supports children while empowering parents.
Increase workforce development, financial coaching, and economic mobility.
Provide wellness, behavioral health, and supportive services for families.
Create meaningful opportunities for older adults to remain active, connected, and engaged.
Serve as a welcoming gathering place where neighbors, nonprofits, businesses, schools, and healthcare providers collaborate to strengthen the entire community.
The building itself is simply the platform.
The real investment is in the lives that will be transformed inside it.
Building on Strategic Community Investments
The Bethlehem Center is not undertaking this work alone.
This project represents a collaborative investment in Highland's future.
Community Investments Already Secured
Movement 2030 Community Investment – $9 million
City of Spartanburg ARPA Investment – $1 million
Donation of the new campus site by the City of Spartanburg
Strategic partnerships with Spartanburg Academic Movement, the Highland Neighborhood Association, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders.
These investments demonstrate widespread confidence in Bethlehem Center's leadership and in Highland's future.
They also create extraordinary leverage for every additional philanthropic investment.
The Opportunity Before Us
To complete the new community campus and open debt responsibly while maximizing long-term impact, Bethlehem Center is seeking an additional $14 million in philanthropic investment.
Every dollar invested today helps:
Reduce long-term financing costs.
Direct more future resources toward children and families rather than debt service.
Strengthen organizational sustainability.
Expand programs and services that improve measurable community outcomes.
Following completion of construction, Bethlehem Center will launch a $20 million Legacy Endowment Campaign to permanently sustain programming, operations, and community impact for future generations.
Together, these investments ensure that today's generosity continues creating opportunity for decades to come.
What Your Investment Makes Possible
Your investment helps create measurable outcomes that extend far beyond one facility.
Children
Greater access to high-quality early learning.
Increased kindergarten readiness.
Improved reading proficiency and academic achievement.
Higher graduation and post-secondary enrollment rates.
Families
Greater financial stability.
Workforce training and employment opportunities.
Financial coaching and wealth-building pathways.
Stronger family resilience through comprehensive support services.
Older Adults
Increased opportunities for wellness, social connection, lifelong learning, and community engagement.
Community
Stronger neighborhood connections.
Improved public health and safety.
Increased collaboration among nonprofit, education, healthcare, and civic partners.
Continued advancement of the Highland Transformation Plan and Movement 2030 goals.
Our Mission Remains Unchanged
For nearly 100 years, Bethlehem Center has remained committed to one purpose:
To support, strengthen, and inspire individuals and families by facilitating opportunities for personal and community advancement.
While the needs of our community continue to evolve, our commitment remains constant.
The next chapter of Bethlehem Center will build upon a legacy of service while creating new opportunities for generations yet to come.
Our Core Values
Rooted in History. Built on Faith.
We honor the generations that built this institution and continue serving with integrity and compassion.
Driven by Compassion. Guided by Service.
Every program, partnership, and investment begins with people.
Focused on the Future. Committed to Impact.
We invest in solutions that create measurable, lasting community change.
Inspired by Community. Sustained by Partnership.
Transformation happens when communities work together.