Penn Center 2025 Year in Review
Community, Culture, and Connection
The Penn Center campus came alive in 2025 with nearly 100 groups and thousands of visitors. Here are some of the most memorable moments.
For more than 160 years, Penn Center has been a place of learning, cultural preservation, and community gathering on St. Helena Island. Guided by its mission to honor and protect Gullah Geechee culture, promote social justice, and provide space for education and reflection, Penn Center continues to serve as a vital hub for the region.
In 2025, Penn Center welcomed more than 50 groups and thousands of visitors to our 50-acre campus. From cultural festivals and educational programs to faith gatherings, wellness initiatives, civic engagement, and family celebrations, the campus remained active year-round. In addition to hosting weddings, repasts, reunions, birthdays, baby showers, and quinceañeras, Penn Center partnered with organizations working across education, health, culture, and environmental justice.
Remembering a Community Leader
The passing of Barbara Jean Gardner-Hunter, a dedicated advocate for Eustis, Penn Center, and St. Helena Island, was a significant loss. In June 2025, her repast was held on campus, honoring her legacy and lifelong commitment to community and culture.
Here are just some of the many organizations, programs, and events hosted at Penn Center and MLK Park in 2025:
Penn Club
TCS Atlanta
New Life Deliverance Church
Gullah Ship
Gullah Geechee Nation
DHEC Health Screenings at MLK Park
Water SC Listening Session
Sigma Gamma Rho
Kilombo Institute
Coastal Conservation League
University of Georgia Residency
2025 Heritage Festival
Black Moses Freedom Festival
Coastal Empire Mental Health
Campbell-Wright HBCU Gullah Geechee Internship Program (hosted by Morehouse College)
Hampton County First Steps
Harvard University
Martin O’Malley (Former Governor of Maryland)
Steve Inskeep, NPR Journalist
The New York Times
Brookstone Schools
Faith Church, Sumter, South Carolina
Circles and Beyond Student Group
Camp Penn
HBCU Radio Preservation Project
Alcindor Family Reunion
Sizemore Family Reunion
Smalls Family Reunion
Heirs Property Workshops
Juneteenth Celebration
Camp Geechee
Walk for Breast Cancer
Daughters of the Underground
Ladies on the Move Clothing Drive
Queens University of Charlotte
Beaufort County Democratic Party Gala
Biara Wedding
Diamond Wedding
Looking Ahead
Each gathering in 2025 reinforced Penn Center’s role as a trusted and welcoming space where history, culture, and community come together. We are grateful to the many partners, families, and visitors who made Penn Center part of their year, and we look forward to continuing this work in the years ahead.