Beaufort County invites residents to join library boards, volunteer groups and donate to local libraries

Octavia Evans, who said she works in the clerk's office that manages Beaufort County's agencies, boards and commissions, invited residents to get involved in local boards and commissions and encouraged anyone interested in supporting libraries to apply through the county website. "We value citizen participation that helps shape Beaufort County's future," Evans said.

An unnamed library board member told the meeting she grew up in Topeka, Kansas, visiting the library with her mother and reading about three books every summer. She said she later moved to Hilton Head, met a board member named Joe Begance, and accepted an invitation to fill a retiring district representative's seat. "I think there's nothing more important in life than being able to read," the speaker said, linking library services to employment prospects, social connections and access to the internet.

The speaker outlined three ways residents can support local libraries: joining one of the friends-of-the-library organizations (she cited groups in Bluffton, Hilton Head and Beaufort), donating used books or money, and volunteering to serve on the library board. Evans closed the remarks by directing residents to Beaufort County's website to learn how to apply to serve on boards and commissions.

No formal actions or votes were recorded during the remarks. The invitation functions as outreach and recruitment; next steps for interested residents are to complete the application available on the county website.