To many Winston-Salem residents, Sam “The Dot Man” McMillan’s house and historic art gallery represents the liveliness and idealism that Sam himself embodied throughout his forty years of producing artwork, teaching classes for children, and inspiring hope in Winston Salem. But since Sam’s death in 2018, the house has fallen into disrepair and the vibrancy of its location on NW Blvd, a lower-income part of town with limited resources, has started to fade away. This lack of attention illuminates a larger trend of ignoring our underserved populations and creating a disparate and divisive community across Winston Salem.
Therefore, Net Impact Triad’s Connect the Dots initiative seeks to reinvent 701 NW Blvd. into a sustainable community center with artistic exhibits and interactive learning activities. This initiative will reduce local hunger by establishing regenerative food sources with the community garden, expand community education initiatives to ensure that students and adults alike are learning about how poverty affects Winston Salem, and create employment opportunities to help underserved citizens invest in their own community. Most importantly, Net Impact Triad will use its extensive network of corporate partners to match philanthropic businesses with the Connect the Dots initiative, thus bridging the gap between the individuals in Winston Salem and setting up the program for long-term, sustainable success.
