The Statesboro Kiwanis Club celebrated a day of giving, learning, and music on March 27 at the Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairgrounds, presenting over $40,000 in donations to key community programs and highlighting the powerful impact of their ongoing Project EAGLET partnership.
The largest check of the day, $25,000, was awarded to Project EAGLET, covering the cost of enrichment field experiences for Bulloch County elementary students for the 2025–2026 school year. That funding is part of the club’s five-year commitment to the program, which provides hands-on, standards-based learning to over 4,000 students annually across five grade-specific experiences:
- 1st Grade – Life Cycle of Plants at the Botanic Gardens
- 2nd Grade – Solar System, Moon, and Rockets at the Planetarium
- 3rd Grade – Fossil Exploration at the Georgia Southern Museum
- 4th Grade – Light and Sound Studies at the Performing Arts Center, featuring the Gretsch Music Collection
- 5th Grade – “Exotic Beasts” Program at the Wildlife Education Center
Brad Boykin, Assistant Superintendent for Bulloch County Schools, spoke during the presentation and reflected on the program’s importance:
“This doesn’t happen without the partnership between you all and Georgia Southern University. Over 4,000 kids benefit, and that’s tremendous. These are experiences students remember for life—and they’re tied directly to the curriculum.”
He also recognized administrative assistant Allison Lee for coordinating the logistics across five centers, even amid schedule shifts caused by weather and hurricane damage.
Dr. Brent Tharp, Director of the Georgia Southern Museum, emphasized the deeper academic and personal impact:
“It’s incredible what this partnership accomplishes. These trips show students what’s possible in their future, bringing them to a university campus and letting them learn in immersive, meaningful ways.”
Dr. Tharp also noted the addition of Georgia Southern’s College of Education to the program this year, with education majors now gaining experience by working directly with visiting students as part of their coursework.
Project EAGLET was created through a partnership between the Statesboro Kiwanis Club, Bulloch County Schools, and Georgia Southern University. The idea was originally proposed by Kiwanis member Dan Hagan, with the goal of giving every elementary student in the county access to hands-on, STEM-based learning experiences tied directly to their classroom curriculum.
The program officially launched in Spring 2023 and brings every 1st through 5th grade student in Bulloch County to a different Georgia Southern outreach center each year
The Statesboro Kiwanis Club committed $120,000 over five years to fund materials, admission, and transportation costs, ensuring all students can participate. Georgia Southern staff and education majors lead the activities, turning the campus into a living classroom for over 4,000 local kids each year.
In addition to the Project EAGLET funding, the Kiwanis Club also presented:
- $12,000 to Bulloch County Recreation and Parks
- $4,000 to the Bulloch County Schools Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program
- $1,500 to Hearts and Hands Clinic, a nonprofit serving uninsured patients in the community
To wrap up the afternoon, guests were treated to a joyful performance from the Mattie Lively Elementary School Ukulele Band—a group of 33 young musicians led by music teacher Lisa Muldrew. Many of the ukuleles the students played were purchased thanks to past Kiwanis donations, making it a full-circle moment.
