From staff reports
The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) has been awarded the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Connecting Communities Award, presented at the league’s annual dinner on Hilton Head Island. This honor recognizes the PBC institution that best exemplifies the NCAA Division II core value of community engagement — building meaningful connections between campus and community.
This year, USCB earned the award for its leadership and impact through the Flybrary Project, an initiative supporting Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport’s children’s book-sharing program. The project was spearheaded by USCB’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) during the spring 2025 semester.
The SAAC organized two successful book collection events on campus — one during a Sand Shark softball game on February 13 and another at a basketball doubleheader on February 26. Student-athletes, faculty, staff and Lowcountry sports fans brought children’s books to donate to the cause.
In total, the initiative collected 556 books to restock the airport’s Flybrary shelves for young travelers.
USCB’s commitment to the Flybrary Project will continue. Sand Sharks student-athletes will volunteer at the airport from Sept. 6 therough Sept. 8, distributing books to traveling families.
This is the first time USCB has received the Connecting Communities Award.
