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Lowcountry Gullah Foundation reports heirs‑property workshops and successful tax‑sale prevention for Hilton Head properties
Summary
Luana of the Lowcountry Gullah Foundation told the task force the nonprofit provided heirs‑property assistance, genealogy research and a wills clinic this year and said no Gullah properties on Hilton Head went to tax sale this cycle; the group reported steady intake and plans for additional workshops and outreach.
Luana, representing the Lowcountry Gullah Foundation, told the task force the group continued a year‑long effort on heirs‑property assistance, genealogy research and legal‑referral support.
"This year we had 3 heirs property families that were referred to us by the town," she said, and described workshops held in the year that included a Q&A with the Beaufort County Treasurer, a Genealogy 101 session with the Heritage Library and a free wills clinic that resulted in 18 people walking out with a will.
Sellers said the foundation helped several families avoid tax sale and that, for Hilton Head specifically, "we were able to make sure that no one on Hilton Head went to the tax sale." She noted that some properties on the broader county list were not Gullah properties.
She described the foundation's outreach strategy — capturing contact information from workshop participants, sharing information with churches and visiting Gullah churches in November to notify congregations about available services and the year's calendar of workshops. Sellers also said the organization relies primarily on individual donations and local and national grants, and that several grant applications remain pending to expand services.
Task‑force members thanked the foundation for the collaboration and suggested screening and education activities such as film series and community partnerships to amplify the foundation's outreach.
