Skip to main content
Accredited 5-Stars

Chamber Foundation’s Mission & Values

  • Our Mission

    The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber Foundation exists to connect community partners by leveraging essential resources that create, enhance, and expand the Chamber’s Mission.

  • Our Values

    The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber Foundation is the catalyst to support the Chamber’s Mission, raise funds, and connect stakeholders to fulfill its priorities. 

Investing in Our Community’s Future

The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber Foundation is dedicated to strengthening our community by investing in education, workforce development, and leadership initiatives that create lasting opportunities for the Golden Isles. As the Non-Profit sector of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, the Foundation brings together businesses, educators, and community leaders to support programs that prepare today’s students and professionals to become tomorrow’s leaders.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Foundation provides funding and resources for impactful initiatives including Leadership Glynn, Youth Leadership Glynn, Business Buddies, The Book Space, the REACH Scholarship, and the Connect Glynn Educator Externship. These programs foster leadership, strengthen the local workforce, connect education with industry, and help build a stronger community.

The Foundation is guided by a simple mission: to connect community partners by leveraging resources that create, enhance, and expand the Chamber’s mission. Every investment in the Foundation is an investment in the future of the Golden Isles, supporting students, empowering leaders, strengthening businesses, and creating opportunities that benefit our community for generations to come.

“The strength of any community begins with the people who choose to invest in it. Through the Chamber Foundation, we are developing leaders, expanding opportunities, and creating meaningful ways to give back to the Golden Isles. Together, we are building a stronger community whose impact will be felt among neighboring communities and for generations to come,”

Myrick Miller Chairwoman, Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber Foundation

Make a Donation – Venmo
Make a Donation – PayPal
Investing in Our Communities Future

Meet the Chamber Foundation Board Members

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

Meet THe Foundation

Chamber Foundation Programs

The Book Space

The Book Space inspires a lifelong love of reading by making books more accessible to children throughout Glynn County. Through partnerships with schools, community organizations, and volunteers, the initiative helps place thousands of books into the hands of young readers each year, expanding access to literacy and encouraging children to discover the joy of reading.

Business Buddies

Business Buddies connects local business professionals with first-grade students for weekly one-on-one reading sessions that strengthen literacy skills, build confidence, and foster meaningful relationships. By bringing together volunteers from the business community and young learners, the program helps inspire a lifelong love of reading while demonstrating the lasting impact of mentorship and community

Connect Glynn: Educator Externship

The Connect Glynn Educator Externship Academy bridges the gap between education and industry by immersing local educators in the workplaces that drive our economy. Through firsthand experiences with area businesses, educators gain valuable insight into workforce needs, emerging career opportunities, and the skills students need to succeed. By bringing these experiences back to the classroom, the program strengthens career readiness and helps prepare the workforce of tomorrow.

REACH Scholarship

The REACH Georgia Scholarship Program is a needs-based mentorship and scholarship initiative that provides promising students with the guidance, encouragement, and financial support needed to pursue higher education. Through a partnership between the Chamber Foundation, Glynn County Schools, REACH Georgia, and community supporters, students receive mentoring throughout high school and scholarship assistance upon graduation, creating pathways to college and expanding opportunities for future success.

Leadership Glynn

For more than 40 years, Leadership Glynn has equipped emerging and established professionals with the knowledge, relationships, and experiences needed to lead with purpose. Participants gain a deeper understanding of the issues, industries, and organizations that shape Glynn County while building lasting connections with fellow community leaders. Today, hundreds of Leadership Glynn alumni continue to serve in influential roles across businesses, nonprofits, education, and local government.

Youth Leadership Glynn

Youth Leadership Glynn empowers high school students to become informed, engaged, and confident leaders. Throughout the program, participants explore local industries, government, healthcare, education, and nonprofit organizations while developing leadership skills and a deeper understanding of their community. By investing in young leaders today, the program is helping shape the future of the Golden Isles for generations to come.


Chamber Foundation programs

Heidi’s Story: Your Support Is Changing Lives in the Golden Isles

For Heidi, the work of the Brunswick–Golden Isles Chamber Foundation is deeply personal. During her 24 years as an educator in the Glynn County School System, she has seen how the Foundation connects education with workforce development and creates opportunities that can change the future of an entire family.

Participating in the Connect Glynn Educator Externship Program transformed the way Heidi speaks with students about their futures. As a middle school administrator, she regularly asks students what they want to be when they grow up. Through the externship, she learned to expand those conversations beyond a future job title and help students understand the communication, teamwork, dependability and other essential skills they will need to succeed.

The program also gave Heidi an opportunity to experience local industries firsthand and better understand the careers available to students throughout the Golden Isles. She describes the experience as a chance to “see our community through a different lens”—one that she can now share with her students and fellow educators.

“There are really too many takeaways to list,” Heidi shared. Her time with King and Prince Seafood was especially meaningful, giving her a closer look at how the business world operates and the opportunities students may have as they prepare to enter the workforce. “The learning experience was something that I’ll never forget.”

The Foundation’s impact became even more personal when Heidi’s oldest daughter received a First Responders Scholarship. Like many parents, Heidi and her family wanted their daughter to pursue her dreams without being overwhelmed by the financial cost of college. The scholarship helped make that possible.

“Our daughter is able to attend the college of her dreams and pursue a career in education without such a heavy burden of financial worry,” Heidi said. “It was such a blessing to our family.”

For Heidi’s family, the scholarship provided more than financial assistance. It offered relief, renewed hope and the reassurance that their community believed in their daughter’s future. That support is now helping her daughter prepare for a career in which she can educate and inspire another generation—allowing one act of generosity to create an impact that may continue for years to come.

Heidi’s story reflects the difference the Chamber Foundation is making through Leadership Glynn, Youth Leadership Glynn, Business Buddies, the Connect Glynn Educator Externship Program, The Book Space, the REACH Scholarship and other educational initiatives. Each program represents an opportunity to prepare a student, empower an educator or help a family move closer to a dream.

“We are so thankful for the support from the Chamber and how it continues to pour into the youth of Glynn County,” Heidi shared.

When you support the Chamber Foundation, you help make stories like Heidi’s possible. Your generosity can ease a family’s burden, open a door for a student and give an educator new ways to prepare the next generation. Together, we can continue changing lives and creating brighter futures for families throughout the Golden Isles.

Making an Impact

“Leadership Glynn continues to make a lasting impact on our community by developing and inspiring local leaders. Thanks to the Chamber Foundation, individuals who may not otherwise have the financial means to participate are given the opportunity to grow, connect, and lead. This investment strengthens our workforce, supports diversity, and helps build a better future for Glynn County.”

– Terri G. Bennett Class of 23′ Leadership Glynn Graduate, Class of 24′ Leadership Glynn Co-Chair, Leadership Glynn Co-Advisor since 2025.

“Leadership Glynn and Business Buddies helped me grow as a leader and find ways to serve my community. Those experiences inspired me to create Legacy of Literacy: Building Readers, Leaders, and Futures. I encourage others to get involved with the Chamber Foundation as a participant, volunteer, or donor—your support can help create lasting opportunities for our community.”

– La’Nisha Whitten, Leadership Glynn Co-Chair

“Participating in Leadership Glynn gave me a new perspective on Glynn County and a deeper appreciation for the people and organizations that make our community special. I also built relationships with people I might not otherwise have met. I encourage anyone—whether new to the area or a lifelong resident—to take part; there’s always more to learn and discover about our community.”

– Mason Christmas, 2026 Leadership Glynn Cohort 

“Co-chairing Youth Leadership Glynn is rewarding because I get to watch students explore their community, build leadership skills, and see how they can make an impact today. By connecting with local industries and organizations, they learn how to put their talents to work for the Golden Isles. With the Chamber Foundation’s support, we’re preparing our largest class yet and helping young people grow into engaged community leaders.”


-Heather Riviera, Youth Leadership Glynn Co-Chair

“Leadership Glynn inspired me to stay involved, and I’m now in my second year mentoring students through Youth Leadership Glynn. Through Business Buddies, I built a special bond with a first grader and watched her reading skills and confidence grow. These programs invest in the people who will shape our community’s future, and I encourage others to support the Chamber Foundation by volunteering, participating, or giving.”


-Lauren Sobala, 

    Make a Donation – Venmo
    Make a Donation – PayPal
    >