If you’ve ever walked down the Main Street District, you may have spotted a few fellow Soda Citizens dressed in bright yellow shirts. Sometimes they are handing out popsicles on hot days, maybe you’ve seen them cleaning up trash, or prepping for Soda City on Friday afternoons.

These are the Yellow Shirt Ambassadors, and we asked Allen Franklin, the Director of Operations for City Center Partnership, a few questions about himself + the Yellow Shirts to get to know the work they do for our city.

What is your official title and how are you affiliated with The Yellow Shirts?

Allen Franklin, Director of Operations. One of my responsibilities is the management of the Clean and Safe Program.

Who are the Yellow Shirts, how many are there, who do they help/serve?

The Yellow Shirts are a Group of Hospitality Ambassadors. There are currently 11 employees on Staff. Our staff serves the B.I.D (Business Improvement District) in Cola, which is currently 36 blocks stretching from Assembly Street in the West to Marion Street in the East, and from Gervais to Elmwood.

Where did the idea come from to create The Yellow Shirts, and what year were they established?

The program for Cola was established in 2002, when the BID was formed. The initial founding group of stakeholders saw the need and wanted to provide additional services above and beyond what was currently provided by the city.

What is a fun fact about The Yellow Shirts?

The Yellow Shirts removed over 67 tons of trash from the Main Street District in 2020.

A Yellow Shirt Ambassador cleaning up trash on Main Street. | Photo provided | Jonathan Hawley

How and in what ways has The Yellow Shirts initiative grown since the beginning?

As our downtown has grown throughout the years, so have the responsibilities of our program. We currently provide a large array of services from cleaning to free shuttles within the district, to motorist assistance, landscaping, basket programs, and so on.

What is a typical day in the life of a Yellow Shirt?

Well that varies depending on the day and shift. We run a 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m. shift, 7 days a week. Typically our morning shift does the bulk of the cleaning and removing trash and large debris from Main Street. They may provide shuttles, currently on hold due to COVID, pressure washing selected areas of the district, etc. Our next shift is designated to provide safety patrols throughout their shift. Again, we also shuttle during this shift, when operating.

A Yellow Shirt Ambassador interacting with a citizen | Photo via @mainstcolasc

What would you say are a few of their main goals?

Our goal at CCP is to provide a clean and safe environment for our stakeholders, residents, and visitors. We want to be able to answer their questions and provide services that enhance the overall appearance of Main Street and improve their experience while they are visiting us.

Can you provide stats (if any) on The Yellow Shirts helping homelessness?

Yes, last year we were able to get 41 distinct individuals off the street and into some type of service with 1 of our great partner providers.

ProTip — The Yellow Shirt Ambassadors are looking to add to their team. Starting pay is $13/hr, and if interested, call Allen Franklin at 803-233-0620 for more details.

How are The Yellow Shirts funded?

The program is funded by hospitality tax from the City of Columbia and we greatly appreciate their support.

What do you hope Cola is like in 10 years? 20 years?

We, as City Center Partnership, hope that downtown Cola continues to be vibrant area that has retail, restaurant, and residential. That we continue to attract those people to Main Street and that visitors and local residents continue to make us a prime destination. Then we can continue our streetscaping project down Main to completion and have both North and South Main.