League of Women Voters plans Women’s Equality Day celebration

The League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Area will celebrate Women’s Equality Day with a community program highlighting the accomplishments and experiences of women in professional sports.

The free event, titled “Women in Sports,” will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Bluffton Library. The program is open to the public, and organizers recommend registering online by Aug. 24.

The event will feature two guest speakers with distinguished careers in golf and tennis: former LPGA Tour standout Rosie Jones and racquet sports professional Katie Ruth.

According to the League, the program will explore how sports shaped the speakers’ personal and professional lives while examining the opportunities and challenges women continue to face in athletics and beyond. Organizers said the discussion also will recognize Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the adoption of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote in the United States.

Jones is one of the most accomplished golfers in LPGA Tour history. She won 13 LPGA Tour tournaments during a career spanning more than two decades and represented the United States in seven Solheim Cup competitions. One of her most memorable moments came in 2002 when she made the winning putt that secured the Solheim Cup for the United States.

Jones played collegiate golf at The Ohio State University, where she earned All-America honors before joining the LPGA Tour in 1982. During her career, she earned more than $8 million in prize money and later served on the LPGA Player Executive Committee. Since retiring from full-time competition, she has remained active in the golf community through instruction and golf travel programs.

Ruth, director of racquet sports at Moss Creek, has built a career as both a coach and advocate for women in tennis. Originally from Wolverhampton, England, she played collegiate tennis at Clayton State University, where she earned All-America honors in doubles and helped lead the team to NCAA Division II Elite Eight and Final Four appearances.

She has received several professional honors, including being named the USTA South Carolina Tennis Professional of the Year in 2023 and the PTR USA South Carolina Pro of the Year in 2025. Ruth has also been a featured presenter at national and regional coaching conferences, where she has shared strategies for player development and leadership in racquet sports.

League organizers said the program is intended to celebrate the achievements of women while encouraging community discussion about equality and leadership. Guests are invited to wear white in recognition of the suffragists who fought for women’s voting rights. An informal social gathering will follow the program at Side Hustle, 10 Buck Island Road, Unit 200, in Bluffton.

The event is free and open to the public. Additional information and online registration are available at bit.ly/Equality2026.