<strong>Celebrate beauty at a  Beaufort ribbon cutting</strong>

On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 Takiya Smith, Beauty contributor to The Island News, cordially invites you to the official ribbon cutting of her newest salon, The Brow Company Beauty Bar &amp; Makeup Studio. The evening will also feature the salon’s first annual pink carpet event and customer appreciation celebration. There will be great door prizes, gift bags, a chocolate and dessert bar, pink mocktails, photography and some fabulous and wonderful giveaways from her neighboring friends at: Andy’s Secret &amp; Alterations, Indigo Salon, Crave Cupcake Boutique, ArtiZen Yoga, Hairplay Salon &amp; Color Bar, Talbot’s, Laura Tucker Designs, Grace &amp; Glory, Sugarbelle and more. Doors open at 10 am for $5 eyebrow waxing and threading services all day long with the salon’s official ceremony kicking off at 12 noon with the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce. We are excited to kick off our new year as an established go to beauty staple in the community and look forward to seeing you so grab a girlfriend or two and let’s celebrate beauty!

<strong>AAUW to meet</strong>

The Beaufort Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will meet on Tuesday, January 27, at 6:00 p.m., at The First Presbyterian Church at 1201 North Street. Our dinner will be catered by Debbi Covington. Bob Lee, Founder of Heroes on Horseback, will speak about “Equine-Assisted Therapeutic Activities for People with Disabilities.” We hope all members will attend and bring a friend. We also invite new members to join our group, which works to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. For details contact Dr. Diana Steele at 522-2796 or steele.diana@comcast.net.

<strong>Youth competition for scholarships</strong>

The ACT-SO youth initiative is looking for high school students with talent and interest in competing in any of the following categories:  Sciences, Humanities, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, &amp; Business.  The ACT-SO youth initiative will have its first informational meeting on Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm, @ the St. Helena Branch Library.  Lunch will be provided.  All Beaufort County youth in the 9th-12th grades, who are interested in participating in this year’s competition are asked to attend.  Winners from the local competition who advance to the national competition, will compete for cash awards and prizes totaling over $200,000.  To RSVP and gain more information, please contact:  Tonya Johnson Phillips @ (843) 441-4985 or Regina Jefferson @ (843) 812-6259.

<strong>Free tax preparation for qualifying taxpayers</strong>

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) of the Lowcountry, a program of Together for Beaufort County, will offer free income tax preparation services to assist low to moderate income taxpayers beginning February 2, 2015. Last year, this effort helped to return more than $4 million dollars to local taxpayers. The program will be offered at multiple sites throughout the area on a rotating schedule to help accommodate those wishing to utilize this service. The tentative daily schedule and list of sites can be viewed at www.vitalowcountry.org. Qualifying taxpayers can also visit www.myfreetaxes.com to prepare their income taxes independently for free. For more information or to volunteer with VITA, contact Mark Schneider, VITA Program Coordinator, at Mark450sl@aol.com or George Friedman, VITA of the Lowcountry Lead Site Coordinator, at georgefriedman@sc.rr.com.