News and Updates

SGSC Book Chat Club Visits Douglas Rotary Club

Courtesy of Douglas Rotary Club

Douglas Rotary Club is committed to improving literacy in Coffee County, Georgia, and is partnering with Wendy Bullock, Rasheem Baldwin and Iyahna Akbar from the South Georgia State College (SGSC) Book Chat Club to give every kindergarten student a Scholastic book. To kick off this campaign, Wendy, Rasheem, and Iyahna were the guest speakers at the Douglas Rotary June 18, 2026 meeting.

Wendy is the Coordinator for Advancement Services at SGSC and serves as the SGSC Staff Council treasurer and advisor for the SGSC Book Chat Club on the Waycross campus. Rasheem is President and Iyahna is the Vice President of the SGSC Book Chat Club. In addition to discussing printed and audio books, members serve the community by reading to children at the public library and local elementary schools. In late-2025, with the help of students, faculty, staff, and the community, the SGSC Book Chat Club was able to raise funds to purchase 480 brand new books and presented them at each elementary school in Ware County in March and April 2026.

Now, with Douglas Rotary Club support, they are expanding the fundraiser to do the same for kindergarteners in Coffee County.

Secretary Mark Miller shared with attendees that the Douglas Rotary Club has access to a grant from Rotary International Foundation that will allow our local Rotarians to join the SGSC Book Chat Club members in getting books in the hands of all Coffee County kindergarten students in public and private schools.

Community donations are also welcome and may be sent to Douglas Rotary, P.O. Box 704, Douglas, GA 31534.

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(L-R): Cedrick Baldwin, Rachel Baldwin, Rasheem Baldwin, Rotarian Milton Clements, Wendy Bullock, Iyahna Akbar and Darrin Denson hope to get books in the hands of all kindergarten students in the 2026-2027 school year.