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Bluffton Blufft n Sun
Preparing lawns and landscapes for cooler 14A weather
September 15, 2026 • Volume 29, Issue 18 • Complimentary • BlufftonSun.com
Carletha Frazier turns experience into opportunity for Lowcountry families Carletha Frazier remembers when New Riverside was woods, Buckwalter seemed far away and Bluffton children were bused to Hilton Head Island High School because there was no Bluffton High. Born and raised in Bluffton, Frazier grew up in a large extended family that provided its own sense of community. Her paternal grandparents had about 10 children, she said, and she was surrounded by cousins. “Most of my cousins, we kind of grew up basically as if we were brothers and sisters,” she said. Frazier hasn’t just watched her hometown expand; she has helped it plan and preserve. She served on the Bluffton Planning Commission and currently serves on the Historic Preservation Commission. She has also spent more than two decades working in real estate and housing as the community around her has grown. But real estate was not initially part of a larger plan. Frazier said she entered the profession in 2004 for a much more immediate reason.
“I started in real estate because I wanted a better life for my son,” she said. Frazier was a single mother, and money was tight. “I was living paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “Sometimes I was living a paycheck behind a paycheck.” Frazier now has three sons, ages 28, 15 and 14. Her oldest grew up during the years when she was struggling to establish herself; her younger sons came along after she had moved into entrepreneurship. Once she entered real estate, Frazier said she began meeting prospective buyers who wanted to own homes but didn’t know how to get there. Some needed help understanding credit or financing. Others were simply told they weren’t ready to buy and to come back later, she said, without being given the tools to prepare. Real estate became about more than earning a commission, Frazier said. It became about “really educating and helping people.” That experience eventually helped lead to Rise with Living Hope, a Bluffton-based nonprofit Frazier founded to work with Lowcountry residents on housing stability, homeownership, financial education and community development.
At Palmetto State Bank, we’re committed to making a difference in the communities we serve.
walk for water
BEAUFORT COUNTY 2026
We hope you’ll join us for the Beaufort County Walk for Water on October 3rd in Bluffton as we take steps toward a world with clean water for all. Visit walkforwater.com/beaufort to register!
Its housing work has attracted public and philanthropic support. In 2024, the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust approved $190,000 for Rise with Living Hope, including $90,000 for home repairs and $100,000 for homebuyer assistance. In 2025, The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry selected the organization for an Impact Grant to launch a financial literacy cohort for low- to moderate-income families. Frazier said the nonprofit’s approach is to look beyond the bill or financial problem immediately in front of someone. A person asking for rental assistance, for example, may sit down with the organi-
Copperheads in the Lowcountry
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