Roscoe Village Foundation launches ‘Elevate the Legacy’ initiative

The Roscoe Village Foundation announced phase one of Elevate the Legacy, an initiative to develop a comprehensive master plan that will guide preservation priorities, enhance visitor experiences, and expand the village’s cultural and economic impact for Coshocton County.

The initiative is supported by a leadership commitment from the Robert and Carolyn Simpson Donor-Advised Fund, established by Robert Simpson and his late wife Carolyn. The Simpson Fund is providing a $1,875,000 match to funding already raised. The initiative was launched with individual lead gifts of $500,000 from Marion Sutton, Wes and Ann Simpson, and the Eugene and Marianne Lautenschleger Donor-Advised Fund at the Coshocton Foundation.

Phase one resources will support three priorities aligned with the foundation’s long-term goals:

—Increasing the foundation’s endowment fund to stabilize essential operations and baseline programs.

—Supporting a multi-phase master-planning process designed to evaluate current conditions, study visitor expectations, and identify long-term opportunities for heritage preservation, strengthened interpretation, innovative programming, facility enhancements, economic and tourism impact, and partnerships. The master plan will serve as the roadmap for future investment and growth.

—Supporting early pilot projects to begin enhancing the visitors' experiences, elevating the brand and testing new ideas.

To support this work, the foundation has appointed Sharon Kinkley Bucey as executive-in-residence. In this role she will guide the development of the master plan; lead stakeholder engagement, branding, marketing and fundraising initiatives; and help advance the foundation’s preservation, programming and economic-vitality goals. Bucey, who grew up in Coshocton, brings experience in nonprofit leadership, branding, digital engagement, philanthropy, destination development, experiential programming and regional economic initiatives.

“As we develop the master plan, people will begin to see visible progress right away including updates to our website and digital presence that align with this new initiative and help us showcase Roscoe Village’s history and the enriched experiences we aim to create. We are also excited to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders whose perspectives will help shape Roscoe Village’s future,” Bucey said.

The master plan also will identify the long-term investments required to secure the village’s future and inform the next phase of the foundation’s work.

“This initiative honors the investment and vision of our founders, Edward and Francis Montgomery,” said David Brillhart, board president of the Roscoe Village Foundation. “These amazing gifts represent a belief in what Roscoe Village means to our community and challenges us to not only protect our heritage, but also to establish a vision for the future and positioning Roscoe Village as a regional and national destination for education, history and authentic experiences."

As a regional and national initiative, Elevate the Legacy will draw on local insight while engaging broader expertise in history, tourism, preservation, arts, economic development, education and experiential design.

Over the coming months, the foundation will conduct listening and insight sessions with a range of stakeholders including residents, local businesses, educators, tourism leaders, regional partners, legacy families and national subject-matter experts.

Individuals or organizations interested in participating may email Bucey at SBucey@roscoevillage.com.

For more information on Roscoe Village, visit www.roscoevillage.com.