The Helianthus Project

10/04/2026

What a great cause! Can you help fill care bags for our community?

Last year, our community came together to collect bicycles for local children, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. So many people donated, shared the project and helped make Christmas a little brighter. That experience meant so much to me that I wanted to do something again this year, with a different purpose in mind.

This Christmas, I’m hoping we can come together to prepare 200 care bags for individuals who may be navigating a significant transition in their lives, including people who have been rescued from human trafficking and individuals experiencing homelessness. The bags will be distributed through four local agencies that provide support and services to people in our community.

These care bags are about more than providing necessities. They are a small way of offering comfort, dignity and practical support during a time when someone may be facing uncertainty or significant change.

Most importantly, I hope each person who receives a bag feels a simple message behind it: “You matter. You are worthy of care. Your community has not forgotten you.”

Donations are being accepted now through December 20, 2026.

There are several ways to help:
Amazon Wishlist: I’ve created a wishlist with examples of the items needed. You do not have to purchase those exact brands or shop on Amazon. The wishlist is simply a guide to help show the types of items we are collecting.
Prefer to shop locally? I also have an itemized shopping list organized by gender and age group. Message me and I’ll be happy to send it to you.

DROP-OFF:
Port Royal Town Hall
700 Paris Ave., Port Royal, SC
Attn: Amber Hewitt / Care Bags

Whether you donate one item, several items, share this post or simply tell someone about the project, every contribution helps.

Last year showed me just how generous and compassionate our community can be. I’m hoping we can come together again this year to provide 200 people with something practical, thoughtful and caring this Christmas.

200 care bags. Four local agencies.
One community coming together.
Thank you for helping me make this happen.

✅

https://bit.ly/46ZhzIw

10/04/2026

Have some things you can send to this amazing organization?!

We’re opening up space for women and children’s clothing + essentials, and we’d love your help filling it. If you’re cleaning out closets this over the next few weeks, consider sending those gently used clothes, jackets, shoes, and accessories our way.

All sizes welcome for women & children.

Drop-offs are open, or message me to coordinate.

If you are a business or organization that would like to host a donation box, we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for pouring into our community. Her Village grows because of hearts like yours. 💛✨

09/27/2026

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible board member, Amber Hewitt, for representing The Helianthus Project at the The Beaufort Charities Giving Partners Reception!
We are honored to be selected as a Giving Partner and incredibly grateful to Beaufort Charities for their generous $5,000 grant benefiting our Helios Recovery program. Support like this helps us continue providing critical resources and hope to survivors of human trafficking throughout the Lowcountry. 💛🌻

09/26/2026

The goal of Helios Recovery isn’t dependence- it’s independence. We help survivors build stability, regain control, and move forward on their own terms.

As we close out this month’s series, join us in helping survivors build a life beyond the rescue. 🌻

From crisis. To stability. To independence.

09/24/2026

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this week our members had the privilege of learning how we can make a real difference in survivors' lives.

On September 22nd, the Zonta Club of Beaufort welcomed Rose Ewing, Community Educator with Hopeful Horizons, as our guest speaker. Ms. Ewing brought an actual sexual assault kit to walk us through the exam process — helping us understand just how long, personal, and difficult this experience can be for a survivor, and the critical role advocates play by staying by their side for support.

To help ease that burden, each of our members put together a Dignity Bag for Ms. Ewing to give to survivors whose clothing must be taken as evidence after an attack. Every bag is filled with essentials — clothing, flip-flops or sandals, toiletries, a hairbrush, and more — so no one has to leave the hospital with nothing to wear. Many bags also include a handwritten note of encouragement, a small reminder that someone cares.

This is just one of the many ways the Zonta Club of Beaufort is showing up for women and children in our community. 💛

09/22/2026

We missed you last week but not to worry, we’re back 🌻
What is coordination- and why does it matter?

It’s the difference between, “Here’s a phone number,” and “I’ll contact them directly, help get this set up, and make a warm handoff.”

Instead of, “Here’s a website and a complicated form,” it’s “Let’s walk through this together. What day works best for you?”

Coordination means helping bridge the gap between a resource existing and someone actually being able to access it. That’s a critical part of the work we do through Helios Recovery.

09/15/2026

“Police say they found a 12-second video of a female child between the ages of 2 and 4 being sexually assaulted by an adult man.”

https://www.live5news.com/2026/09/10/mount-pleasant-man-arrested-sexual-exploitation-minors-charges/?fbclid=IwdGRleAUWgTFwZG9mBWZkaWQWUOf0G0BHlacwd_fOzJLRMk8Gnn17Q2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6SzchdHZRpyQF7uWwi46kmhm1GbBIG4m-lFLMCOY2_QLCCLJEeAeCLBILiag_aem_A-58wl0kXvwoVW7wO4BtEA

A local influencer in Mount Pleasant faces six charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors, the Attorney General’s office has announced.

09/15/2026

September 24 | Online Event

09/14/2026