by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
If you’re thinking about what makes Sanibel the special place that it is, The Community House has to come to mind. For almost 100 years, it has been the gathering place for islanders of all ages and interests, a welcoming spot for long-time and new residents alike. The central hub of Island happenings and the headquarters for the oldest nonprofit on the island, the Sanibel Community Association, The Community House serves as the gathering place for many local organizations.
For 13 years, Teresa Riska-Hall led The Community House through some very tough times to emerge as a successful place once again. Riska-Hall retired in June, leaving behind a legacy of progress and goodwill.
A “military brat” who grew up in a variety of places, Riska-Hall headed to the University of Wisconsin where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Recreation. Hoping to move to a warmer climate, she wound up at South Seas Resort, where she worked for a number of years. That’s where she met her husband of 36 years, Matthew, who has continued to work on Captiva. They had their wedding reception at the Community House. The couple lived on Sanibel for about 10 years before moving to the Iona area. They have two children: Jonathan, a software engineer for 23andMe in California; and Meghan, a Nursing Manager CCO at Lee Health.
At South Seas, Riska-Hall developed recreational programs including Beachwalk’n’Talk identifying shells and shorebirds, nature walks, water exercise, and large group Olympics. Seeking an opportunity where she could make a positive difference in the lives of others, she next went to work with the Lee County Education Foundation, where she was heavily involved in the development of initiatives such as the Take Stock in Children program, a scholarship program for needy students, as well as the Golden Apple program, which annually recognizes outstanding area teachers. Riska-Hall also worked for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
It was at this time that island resident Community House regular Salli Kirkland asked Riska-Hall if she could help out at The Community House. There, Riska-Hall was met with an organization in disarray. “All my experience up to that point, unbeknownst to me, set me up perfectly for The Community House,” said Riska-Hall. “They were dying, it was falling apart. Friends asked me, ‘Why do you want to go work at that dump?’ I told them it won’t be a dump for long!”
“Teresa brought a lot of unique skills and past experience as well as an understanding of what the Community House is all about,” said Tom Sharbaugh, president of the Board during the years of construction and renovation, and COVID and Hurricane Ian. “More than anybody we could have put in [that position], Teresa knew all about its history and the unique role The Community House plays as a nonprofit community meeting place.”
Riska-Hall was able to develop new programs and work with businesses and community groups to bring them back into The Community House. She also went into the community to talk about the importance of having a space like The Community House. “In the beginning, I was setting tables and moving chairs and bringing my husband in to work on the plumbing,” she said.
“Teresa was certainly a good worker,” said Marge Meek, president of the Board when Riska-Hall joined The Community House. “If something was needed, she was never been afraid of work. You’d never find her just sitting in her office. She fit right in.”
“When I started 13 years ago, there was a big civic and community push, so it matched perfectly with our mission to enrich the community spirit through cultural, educational, and social gatherings. That was my primary goal when I went there, to build that small-town community feeling – and that was eagerly met by the people of Sanibel. That isn’t always the case in other places,” Riska-Hall continued.
“The over-riding goal was to bring The Community House back to life in a way that everyone felt welcome when they came in the doors,” Riska-Hall said. She wanted to show people that their word meant something because in years past, there had been some negative feelings when people left The House. There was some complaining about the past, and Riska-Hall would have none of it. “That was then, this is now, and we’re focusing on moving forward,” she would tell people.
And they did move forward. The House went from hosting 20 groups when Riska-Hall joined, to more than 490 at the peak. The year of COVID, 110,000 people went through those welcoming doors. “For a very small staff, it was incredible,” Riska-Hall said. “It’s surprising how much we’ve been through in the years I was there.”
She helped The Community House weather the BP oil spill, COVID, then a renovation in 2017, and then Hurricane Ian right on its heels.
In March 2020, everything just shut down with COVID, while Riska-Hall and her team scampered to try to come up with a plan. “The money just shut off,” she said, “but the children still had time over the summer. So we held summer camp with the tables spread out, we couldn’t take as many kids, everybody wore masks – we did what we could.” The House also partnered with FISH to arrange vaccinations for residents. Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings were held outside, with food made available during the holidays, in partnership with FISH.
A big renovation took place and was completed in 2017. Faulty air conditioning and bad floors were part of the problem. Special attention was paid to the historic building, putting in more supports and shoring up the foundation. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to lose a historical house on my watch!” Riska-Hall exclaimed. That renovation cost about $3.5 million.
That made it hurt all the more when Hurricane Ian blew through on September 28, 2022. Four feet of water poured into The Community House, causing the floor to buckle up from the pressure. There was a lot of construction work to be done. The stage, being concrete, was saved.
Riska-Hall said, like so many islanders, she was taking a boat over to assess damage and do what she could. “It was really challenging even to get a signature on a contract with a contractor,” she said. “I had wonderful staff and volunteers there cleaning and pulling and saving what we could.”
They finally got a project manager, Brandi Schulte, and superintendent, Dane Johnson, for the project. “They were wonderful, just great to work with. Without a construction manager, which costs more money, that was just me. That was more stress I probably didn’t need, but it saved us about $150,000.”
The lobby area opened first, with Rotary and Kiwanis returning. The repairs were then divided into three phases. “It was challenging,” Riska-Hall said.
Today, after about $3 million in repairs, The Community House is back on its feet, hosting probably close to 2,000 events and gatherings once again, ready for the next 100 years.
“Once it was all finished, Teresa was very involved creating new and expanded programs,” Sharbaugh said. “She was a very important player in the capital campaign fundraising effort including establishing and maintaining relationships with key donors and supporters. It’s a unique place to sell to people. It takes special skills to do that when you’re trying to educate them about the history.”
“The 1927 historical piece is an extra piece I loved and cannot be lost,” Riska-Hall said. “Where you come from can set the tone for where you’re going. It was just hard sometimes to get people to understand that the historical piece is huge. People understand when they realize there were square dances and Christmas shows in the old days prior to television, then people begin to understand what The Community House was to the community. That is important to me.”
Sharbaugh said Riska-Hall had an important tenure of duty and service to the island. “She can retire taking satisfaction in being a major part of that history,” he said.
“She took something that meant a lot to the community and rebuilt it, keeping The Community House for the whole community,” Meek added. “We were delighted to have her.”
Riska-Hall sees Sanibel coming back but changing at the same time. “I think philanthropy is changing, and then Sanibel’s population is changing,” she said. “The Community House will still need to have gatherings and fundraisers. I think the population will be younger, but I hope people will continue to step up and be part of The Community House. They have so far. I think that will probably continue.”
For her part, Riska-Hall is enjoying retirement. She was offered a couple of jobs but isn’t sure she wants to go back to work right now. “I love people, so if I do something, it will probably be some volunteer work. I haven’t really researched it yet, but being a cuddler for young parents interests me. My son was born two months early and was in intensive care for 16 days. So I know it’s nice to have a friendly face you know is there when you can’t be.”
An avid gardener, Riska-Hall also helps care for her 90-year-old neighbor. “It’s good to be a good neighbor,” she said. “Be kind. What’s a few more hours in your week compared to making someone’s life easier?”
Riska-Hall is leaving The Community House in good shape. With zero volunteers when she started 13 years ago, there are now more than 300 volunteers. “It really has to do with my love of people and my character,” Riska-Hall explained. “I’m honest to a fault. Some people find that challenging sometimes, but I’ve always been that way. That’s how I was brought up, and I don’t see me changing anytime soon.”
Riska-Hall said, with her kids off to college, The Community House was “her baby.” She worked a lot of hours to get things under control and now is ready for the next chapter.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I’m ready for it,” she said. “So much pressure has been lifted, it’s a nice feeling. It’s been an incredible ride. Now I’m ready for something else.”
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