Marilyn Harris

The Grace to Serve

story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER               photos by SUSAN DELOACH

After a whirlwind career, including acquiring three graduate degrees, working at the Pentagon, working and traveling all over Europe, and so much more, Marilyn Harris was set to retire in 2014. “Retirement is the only job I’ve ever truly failed at,” Marilyn laughs. Marilyn moved to Beaufort in June 2015 into her home on Dataw Island, where she had no family and no friends. “When you ask God how you may serve Him, He might send you anywhere.” Marilyn trusted that her spirit and gut had brought her to the right place, and she now fully believes that is what happened.
Since moving here, Marilyn has served on the Board of Directors of United Way, has worked with Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) as a mentor, and taught in the school system as a long-term substitute. She has also served on the Board of Directors of Dataw Island.

With United Way, she has helped to establish a program known as Mimi’s Closet, which provides essential school and personal supplies to needy students during the school year. “I’m Mimi, that’s what my grandchildren call me.” She is also one of the founding members of the EmpowerHer2Be group for young girls. She is active in her church, Grace Chapel A.M.E., singing in the choir. “I do what I can, teaching women’s empowerment seminars when I can.”

In 2018, Marilyn returned to work with the Collaborative Organization of Services for Youth (COSY) program as the Program Coordinator. COSY says in its mission statement that it will: “plan, develop, and facilitate an effective continuum of support for Beaufort County youth and families by eliminating barriers to service, advocating for family preservation, and promoting local systems of care. Our vision is that all Beaufort County youth and their families in need of coordinated services will receive local, family-centered care in the least restrictive setting possible.” Marilyn facilitated many round table conversations between mental health counselors, social services, hospitals, schools, and more to make sure that these families were being provided with exactly the services that they needed. Marilyn worked in this role throughout COVID.

COSY has a companion program for adults called Collaborative Organization of Services for Adults (COSA). Marilyn worked largely with adults who were homeless or were having mental health issues. She often received referrals for these adults, mainly from the detention center, and she was able to connect them with service organizations like Wright Directions that would provide counseling to them. She was able to help find temporary housing for them, even at hotels. “I once had a client who was homeless but also was terminally ill. Through my work with charitable organizations, I was able to arrange for that person to get a hotel room and receive his palliative care treatment in the hotel. His family was able to come to stay in a room next to him and be reunited in his final days.”

Marilyn and the County turned the Program Coordinator position into a permanent position, and Marilyn recruited and trained the person who would take over the role.

Following that, Marilyn worked with Marshview Community Organic Farm. This program serves meals to the elderly in the community, feeding thousands of meals each year. Marilyn worked as a trustee to help fund the program and keep it running. Marshview Community Organic Farm also works to repair homes on St. Helena Island that are in desperate need of repair. This is possible through donations and volunteer work. “It is a project that is near and dear to my heart.”

Marilyn also ran for public office, and even though she lost, she “had a lot of fun.” She felt as if she was able to make a difference even just in how people think about paying attention to county and local politics. “If you want differences made, you have to make them yourselves by voting. Don’t complain — do something. Join a committee, make a difference.”

Marilyn started serving as the president of the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) in July 2023. She was brought on after some turmoil took place, to “right the ship” and help them restore order. “My job was to bring the Chamber back to its original mission which is to serve the community.”

The Black Chamber of Commerce, established in 2002, focuses on economic development by providing low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration, the USDA Rural Development Program, and the US Treasury to disenfranchised and disadvantaged business owners or aspiring business owners. It has always served minority communities. The federal government recognizes this area as a historically underused business zone, and that is because it is a rural area, and so many native-born citizens are either disadvantaged or disenfranchised. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to earn a living.”

Along with this, the BCBCC can offer small-dollar loans or rapid-response loans for qualified applicants. They have a little more flexibility than banks do. But they aren’t just handing over loans. They provide a 12-week training program, teaching aspiring business owners how to write up a business plan, how to set up and market their business, and ultimately how to succeed. They work with SCORE to make sure they are well-qualified before sitting down for a loan. They are assigned a mentor as well, someone who has been successful in business.

Through the SC State Housing Repair, they also facilitate the repair of homes to keep disadvantaged residents in clean, safe, and sanitary homes. Traditional institutions will often not take on these undertakings, but the Black Chamber of Commerce will.

The BCBCC also lends money to those who may be struggling to pay taxes on their land. After the loan, they will place the person in a budget program, working to ensure the person can pay the taxes themselves by the next year. “We are not giving hand-outs, we’re giving hand-ups.” Their footprint extends from Beaufort to Jasper County, Hampton County, and up to Charleston. “It’s not just about business, it is about community.”

“In many ways, the work that I am currently doing at the BCBCC brings together under one umbrella all that I have been privileged to do since 2018. When I worked for the County, I had the privilege of supporting vulnerable children and families by bringing them to county support services through COSY. Through COSA, I was able to help the homeless and indigent by providing them with safe, sanitary, and clean living conditions even though temporary — now I get to do that for the larger disadvantaged and disenfranchised community. I was able to help feed the hungry and most vulnerable through Second Helpings and Marshview Farm. Now I get to help people in financial emergencies keep the lights on and food on the table. I get the opportunity to support community economic development through small business loans and classes in preparation for starting businesses and buying their first homes, and so much more.

This is Grace delivered over and over, and I am humbled, honored, and privileged to be a part of that. So often I come home feeling physically exhausted, but always grateful to get to do it again the following day. God’s grace truly has been sufficient in this journey.”

When Marilyn is not working, she loves to travel and enjoys reading. She loves her three grown children, two daughters and a son, and even more importantly, “I LIKE THEM!” She has an amazing daughter-in-law and two grandsons that she adores and loves, spending every second she can with them. While Marilyn has accomplished a lot in her own life and career, she is most proud of her children and what she has been able to witness them accomplish. “God raised them despite me,” she says, and while that may be true, Marilyn set the example of a hard-working, community-serving, loving, caring, and gracious person. That is an easy example to try and follow.

Marilyn Harris has been allowed to make a huge difference in Beaufort County and the surrounding area, and she has grabbed it by the reins, just like she has every career opportunity that has ever been placed in front of her. For Marilyn and the BCBCC, the sky’s the limit.