Beaufort County residents, business owners and school employees all have a reputation for putting children first.

Students are of the utmost importance for the county, and organizations have proved their dedication to the students’ education time and again.

Bright Futures Beaufort County is one of those organizations making huge strides in the schools throughout the county.

From Washington High School’s food and hygiene pantries, to the school district’s winter coat drive, to hosting assemblies for proper social media etiquette, Bright Futures continues to come up with ways to benefit the students of Beaufort County.

Not only that, but the overall mission is one to be applauded — meeting the basic needs of students to help further their achievements in education. The Bright Futures board is also intertwined with the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and Beaufort County Schools, different facets of the community coming together for one cause.

Bright Futures, in general, is actually a national initiative, and thanks to help from PotashCorp-Aurora, organizers were able to bring it to this county.

It is no secret that Beaufort is considered a Tier 1 county. There are many low-income families here and students who need a little more attention than their more affluent peers.

For many teachers and administrators, their students at school are like one of their own children at home. When a student’s basic needs are not being met — when a student doesn’t have toothpaste to brush his or her teeth before school or when a student admits to being hungry — the teachers and administrators will take notice and try to make the situation right.

But unfortunately, these school employees already have enough on their plates with preparing for just a regular school day. It is nearly impossible to fix every one of these situations for students in need.

That’s why it is so important to have another helping hand when it comes to Beaufort County students, such as Bright Futures. Beaufort County has a large variety of people ready to help, and Bright Futures is doing its part to join in the initiative.