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 Iyahha 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 the 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.
Douglas Rotary is a service organization seeking to advance the service ideals of Rotary International by investing time and resources in programs for children and youth, community development, disease prevention, family support, environmental health, and leadership development. Rotary meets on Thursdays from noon to 1 pm at the South Georgia State College Dining Hall in Douglas. Visitors and prospective members who are interested in personal and professional growth and community service are always welcome. For more information, call Clay Lott at 912-327-1921, Pastor Paul Elliott at 912-850-9631, or Mark Miller at 540-321-8191.
