On Hilton Head Island, beauty is often defined by what you can see: Oak-lined streets draped in Spanish moss, carefully maintained homes, and manicured landscapes that frame one of the country’s most celebrated coastal communities. Yet beyond the postcard-perfect views lies a quieter reality, one shared by many resort destinations across the nation. For hundreds of families who live and work here, housing is fragile. One unexpected expense, one deferred repair, one lost paycheck can unravel years of stability.
That reality – and the deeply practical way The Deep Well Project has chosen to address it – earned the nonprofit one of the most prestigious honors in philanthropic sports. In December, Deep Well was named the 2025 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year, selected from nominees representing 48 PGA TOUR tournament communities nationwide.
A Few of Deep Well’s Volunteers (from left to right) Front Row: Patrick Rodney, Chris Shively, Rita Jones, Doug Alderman, Greg Storey, Dave Barnum, Tony Cucci, Scott Thompson, Doug Felton , Back Row: Greg Whitacre, Arnie Steinlage, Dennis Gambon, Bruce Braun
The award includes a $30,000 grant from the PGA TOUR, an additional $6,000 local match through the Heritage Classic Foundation, and something far more valuable: national recognition for a housing model that works.
For Sandy Gillis, executive director of Deep Well, the honor affirms a philosophy that has guided the organization for years – meeting people where they are, addressing problems early, and understanding that a safe home is foundational to everything else.
“When you ask why we care about workforce housing, this is why everybody who lives on Hilton Head – and increasingly in Bluffton – needs to care about it,” Gillis said.
Doug Felton mans the saw.
Housing as the Cornerstone of Community
Deep Well’s housing work is rooted in a simple truth: When housing is unstable, everything else is at risk. Employment, education, health, and family cohesion all hinge on having a safe place to live. While the organization offers a range of financial assistance programs, housing has emerged as one of its most critical areas of impact, particularly in a region where affordability and availability are increasingly strained.
Deep Well operates two distinct housing programs, each designed to prevent crisis rather than respond after the damage is done.
The first is emergency rent and mortgage assistance, a financial aid program that steps in when a family faces an unexpected disruption. “We don’t just write checks,” Gillis said. “We ask a lot of questions before we step in. We need to understand that something unusual has happened – lost income, an unexpected medical bill, a sudden expense – that has negatively affected the ability to make that payment.”
The need is significant. In 2025 alone, Deep Well helped close to 600 families make emergency housing payments, investing well over half a million dollars to keep people housed. “Those dollars stabilized a lot of people,” Gillis said. “And stabilization is everything. Once someone loses their housing, the road back is incredibly difficult.”
Scott Thompson, a volunteer with Deep Well.
But while emergency assistance keeps people from losing their homes, it was Deep Well’s second housing initiative – one especially relevant to a home-and-garden audience – that captured the attention of the PGA TOUR.
The Livable Housing Home Repair Program is Deep Well’s most distinctive and hands-on initiative. Focused exclusively on owner-occupied homes, the program addresses critical repairs that, if left unattended, can make a home unsafe or unlivable.
“These are not luxury renovations,” Gillis said. “These are repairs that keep people safe and dry.”
The homes served through the program are modest by design: mobile homes, small apartments, aging cottages, and cinderblock houses that were built decades ago. The common thread is ownership. “The key is that the people who own the house live there,” Gillis said. “They’re invested in their home and their neighborhood, but they’re facing a repair that requires a large lump sum of money.”
A new roof, for example, can easily cost $10,000 to $12,000. Drilling a new well after a pump runs dry may require $5,000 up front. Unsafe steps, rotting decks, failing plumbing, or deteriorating electrical systems can all reach beyond what a household living paycheck to paycheck can absorb.
Rita Jones, Island Livable Housing Manager / Assistant Director
“Many of these folks could afford $50 or $100 a month toward a repair,” Gillis said. “What they don’t have is the $10,000 up front – and they can’t qualify for a home equity loan to get it.”
Deep Well bridges that gap by fronting the cost of repairs. The organization typically gifts one-third to two-thirds of the expense outright, then offers the remainder as a zero-interest loan repaid in manageable monthly installments.
“The cool thing about that model is that those repayments don’t disappear,” Gillis said. “We take that money and reinvest it into the next neighbor’s house. It becomes a real, tangible version of paying it forward.”
Patrick Rodney digs a path for the new handicap ramp.
Volunteers Powering Transformation
At the heart of the Livable Housing program is an extraordinary volunteer network. Deep Well operates four volunteer work crews, each made up of about 10 people, supported by three staff construction leads. Together, they fan out across Beaufort and Jasper counties, tackling repairs that many homeowners simply can no longer manage themselves.
“Deferred maintenance is often the root of these problems,” Gillis says. “I love our Lowcountry trees dripping with Spanish moss, but when leaves, straw, and moss accumulate on a roof – and an 82-year-old couple has no way to get up there and clean it – it’s going to rot the shingles.”
Left unaddressed, small issues compound quickly. Roof leaks lead to water damage. Unsafe steps become fall hazards. Aging decks rot in the region’s hot, humid climate if they aren’t regularly sealed and maintained.
“Our volunteers can do an incredible amount of the repairs,” Gillis said. “Carpentry, repairing porches and steps, building wheelchair ramps so someone with mobility challenges can safely get in and out of their home – we do that in-house all day long.”
Many hands make light work.
Licensed professionals step in when needed. Deep Well hires licensed, bonded, and insured roofers for roof replacements, and brings in professionals for major electrical or plumbing work that requires warranties and specialized expertise.
“We don’t want volunteers on roofs,” Gillis said. “And we want homeowners to have that guarantee and peace of mind.”
Thanks to donated labor and discounted professional services, the financial impact of the program is amplified far beyond its direct costs. In 2025, Deep Well invested approximately $862,000 into the Livable Housing program, while the estimated value of the work completed reached $1.2 to $1.4 million.
At a Glance: Deep Well’s Livable Housing Impact
When the Deep Well Project talks about housing, the focus is simple: keeping neighbors safe, dry, and at home. The Livable Housing Home Repair Program does just that, through prevention, partnership, and community-powered solutions.
Why It Matters
Deferred maintenance is a leading cause of housing instability for longtime homeowners
Preventing displacement protects families, neighborhoods, and property values
Livable Housing by the Numbers
4 volunteer work crews serving Beaufort & Jasper counties
40+ trained volunteers donating skilled labor
3 staff construction leads overseeing projects
107 homes repaired in 2024 (345 individual projects)
135 homes repaired in 2025
375 people helped in 2024
473 neighbors impacted in 2025
What Repairs Include
Roof replacements (completed by licensed professionals)
Plumbing and electrical repairs
Structural carpentry and safety fixes
Porch, deck, and stair repairs
Custom wheelchair ramps and accessibility solutions
Well pump replacement and water restoration
A Smart, Sustainable Model
Deep Well typically gifts one-third to two-thirds of repair costs
Remaining balance is repaid through a 0% interest loan
Monthly payments are reinvested into future home repairs
Creates a pay-it-forward cycle that strengthens the entire community
National Recognition
Named 2025 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year
Selected from 48 PGA tournament communities nationwide
$900,00- total local annual impact of home repair program
Featured throughout 2026 as the reigning Charity of the Year
Learn More or Get Involved
Deep Well welcomes volunteers, donors, and community partners who want to help keep local families safely housed.
Visit DeepWellProject.org or call (843) 785-2849.
Behind the Scenes: How a Home Becomes a Deep Well Project
What often goes unseen in the transformation of a home is the thoughtful, methodical process that precedes every repair. Each Livable Housing project begins not with lumber or ladders, but with careful evaluation. Applications come in through referrals, community partners, and direct outreach, followed by a site visit from Deep Well staff and construction leads.
“We have to make sure the home is owner-occupied and that the repair is truly critical,” Gillis said. “Our goal is to keep people safe, dry, and housed – not to do cosmetic upgrades.”
During these visits, staff assess safety risks, structural issues, and long-term livability. A leaking roof may look manageable from the street, but inside it could mean mold, weakened ceilings, or compromised electrical systems. An aging deck may seem like an inconvenience — until it becomes a fall hazard for an elderly homeowner.
This front-end diligence ensures that resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. “We’re stewards of donor dollars and volunteer time,” Gillis said. “Every decision we make is about sustainability, both for the homeowner and for the program itself.”
Once a project is approved, volunteers and vendors are coordinated, materials sourced, and timelines established. The result is not a rushed fix, but a carefully executed repair designed to extend the life of the home for years to come.
While statistics help quantify Deep Well’s impact, Gillis is quick to remind people that each number represents a real family – and often, a long history rooted in the Lowcountry.
“These are people who’ve worked in hospitality, healthcare, education, construction,” she said. “They’re the people who make this community function.”
For many homeowners, accepting help is not easy. Pride, independence, and a lifetime of self-reliance can make asking for assistance feel uncomfortable. But the Livable Housing model, with its shared investment through repayment, helps preserve dignity.
“They’re not just receiving help,” Gillis explains. “They’re participating in the solution. That matters.”
Homeowners frequently work alongside volunteers, offering coffee, sharing stories, and watching as long-standing problems are finally addressed. “There’s something powerful about seeing a roof replaced or a ramp built and knowing that house is going to stay standing,” Gillis said. “It’s emotional, for the homeowners and the volunteers.”
Measurable Impact, Real Lives Changed
The numbers tell a compelling story. In 2024, Deep Well completed 345 individual repair projects across 107 homes, improving living conditions for 375 people. Preliminary figures for 2025 show 135 homes repaired, fundamentally improving the lives of approximately 473 neighbors.
Yet Gillis is candid about the stakes. “There are times when we do a site visit and the house is so far gone, there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “And when we say we can’t help, that family is likely going to become homeless.”
That reality drives the program’s urgency. “We have to stay way ahead of that worst-case scenario by replacing a roof, fixing plumbing, addressing electrical issues,” Gillis said. “Whatever it takes to keep the house safe and livable.”
While the Livable Housing program is deeply personal for the families it serves, its effects ripple outward. A repaired home doesn’t just benefit the people living inside – it lifts the entire street.
“If you’re driving down a road and there’s one ramshackle house that really needs TLC, that affects everyone,” Gillis said. “When we rehab that house, it’s a gift to the homeowner, but it also protects the surrounding homes.”
Preventing blight helps stabilize property values and preserve the character of neighborhoods that might otherwise decline. “It’s that rising-tide-lifts-all-boats concept,” Gillis said. “You don’t want a street to become house after house in disrepair. That spiral is hard to stop once it starts.”
Why the PGA TOUR Took Notice
Gillis believes the PGA TOUR Charity of the Year selection speaks to the universality of the problem Deep Well is addressing. “My guess is that all 48 PGA tournament communities are in really beautiful places, just like Hilton Head,” she said. “Places like Kapalua, Hawaii; Miami, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona. And I guarantee they’re all wrestling with the same housing challenge.”
How do you keep housing safe, stable, and attainable for the workforce that sustains these communities?
“I honestly think that may be why the PGA TOUR picked Deep Well,” Gillis said. “Affordable, safe housing is such a big, national issue. Everyone understands it. But it’s so complex that few nonprofits feel like they can really take a swing at it.”
Deep Well did – and continues to do so with a model that is practical, scalable, and rooted in community partnership.
As the reigning PGA TOUR Charity of the Year for 2026, Deep Well will be featured throughout the year as the PGA highlights its charitable efforts nationwide. Locally, conversations are underway with Steve Wilmot, tournament director of the RBC Heritage, about recognizing Deep Well during the April tournament.
“It’s fun to celebrate a local charity being recognized on a national stage,” Gillis said. “But the real win is the exposure, because this is an issue every community needs to be talking about.”
For Gillis, the award is less a finish line than an invitation. “There’s a part of me that says maybe the PGA TOUR wanted to give this little local nonprofit a pat on the back – and some exposure – because all of these other communities could be doing similar things.”
She pauses, then smiles. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if a little fire we lit here in the Lowcountry spread to 48 other communities?”
At its core, Deep Well’s work is about dignity, about ensuring that people who have worked, raised families, and contributed to their communities can remain safely in their homes. One roof. One ramp. One repaired porch at a time.
And in doing so, they are quietly redefining what it means to invest in home, garden, and community – from the ground up.
