Ryan Warren, Brad Lawson, and Jon Sykes in front of Georgia Christian School’s new Joe Virgil Dasher Middle School. Photo by: Lori Alley
Located in Dasher, just minutes from the Florida border, Georgia Christian School has sat quietly beneath the large oak trees for more than 100 years. Though Georgia Christian is the oldest private school in South Georgia, its reputation has not always been widely known outside Lowndes County.
Recognition of the school has risen over the past decade, mostly due to growing popularity of the annual Georgia Christian Benefit Dinner. Since its beginning in 2008, the benefit dinner has become one of South Georgia’s premier events featuring political leaders, entertainers, and sports figures.
The idea of the dinner came after Georgia Christian board members Jon Sykes and Ryan Warren attended a fundraising dinner at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.
“We were looking for a fundraising idea,” said Warren, who has served on the Georgia Christian board for 12 years. “Jim Lovell from Apollo 13 was the guest speaker, and the room was packed with more than 2,000 people. It was overwhelming.”
On the trip home, Sykes and Warren began discussing the possibility of a speaker-focused dinner as a fundraiser for Georgia Christian.
“Jon is an alumnus of Faulkner and he reached out to them for information. They have been extremely helpful,” Warren said. “We were looking for a good solid fundraiser and thought this could be something that we could grow.”
Starting with Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward in 2008 and NBA player Tim McCormick in 2009, the dinners have grown in attendance each year.
Georgia Christian student ambassadors are pictured with George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, who was the guest speaker at the school’s 2014 annual benefit dinner.
After moving the dinner to Valdosta State University’s Student Union Ballroom, the notoriety of the guest speakers continued to increase. The following two years included speakers Dale Murphy, former Atlanta Braves player, and Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and Fox News host.
“When Governor Huckabee came to speak, his radio show had become very popular and he had already been in a primary for president,” said Dr. Brad Lawson, Georgia Christian president. “This is when people in this area really started paying attention to the dinner.”
Not to disappoint, the following year the benefit dinner featured former First Lady Laura W. Bush. The sold-out event made $150,000 for Georgia Christian.
“Mrs. Bush was wonderful and very gracious,” Lawson said. “She even came out to the school and read to the children in the library.”
The following year, former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback and four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw was the featured speaker.
Lawson said Bradshaw provided a sports theme that coincided with Georgia Christian’s launch of its new football program, which had not been in existence since the 1960s.
In 2014, as Georgia Christian was celebrating its 100th anniversary, George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, was selected as the guest speaker for the seventh annual benefit dinner.
“When we booked Governor Huckabee, a lot of people thought it was a fluke,” Lawson said. “But then when we had Laura Bush that solidified what we were doing, and of course, having President George W. Bush was a grand slam.”
The next three years, the benefit dinner continued to garner attention from across the region with singer-songwriter Vince Gill, talk show host and author Bill O’Reilly, and legendary football coach Lou Holtz.
Warren, who along with his wife, Nikki, serves on the benefit dinner planning committee, said there are numerous issues to consider when selecting a speaker.
“There is a balance of cost when you can only put about 480 people in the room,” Warren said. “You look at what it will cost to bring a big name speaker, as well as the positive exposure for the school. Some years, we sacrifice making more money so that we can bring in a speaker that creates more exposure for the school.”
In 2012, former First Lady Laura Bush was the annual dinner guest speaker. She also took time earlier in the day to read to Georgia Christian students in the school’s library.
It is the positive exposure for Georgia Christian that Lawson said has proven to be a valuable outcome of the dinners.
“After the first couple of dinners we realized that it was more than a fundraiser,” Lawson said. “We have a captive audience to tell our story. We have found that the marketing value of the dinners sometimes far exceeds what we bring in financially.”
Each dinner includes a video that highlights Georgia Christian academically, socially, and spiritually.
“Through these videos, we are able to get our message out to the community about who we are and where we are going,” Lawson said. “Many people who come to the dinners have never been on our campus and the videos help tell the story.”
Historic Past, Strong Future
As part of Georgia Christian’s 100th anniversary, members of the board of directors developed a master plan that outlined capital improvements for the school through the year 2030.
The comprehensive plan includes renovations to existing buildings and construction of new facilities, with a focus on fostering growth while maintaining the historical integrity of the campus and remaining debt free.
“The master plan represents a roadmap,” Warren said. “We laid out what needed to be done, and we were very strategic in our approach, but remaining debt free is very important to the school.”
The master plan’s short-term goals that included renovating the cafeteria and constructing sidewalks to create a more pedestrian-friendly campus have been completed.
The capital campaign is divided into two phases. Phase one had a goal of $1 million for the construction of a new middle school facility. Georgia Christian launched the campaign with a lead gift of $100,000 from J.C. and Judy McMullen and a commitment from the school’s board members for $72,000.
Dr. Brad Lawson, president of Georgia Christian School. Photo by: Lori Alley
The campaign received an unexpected boost when a local businessman heard about the project and offered a matching $500,000 gift toward construction of the middle school.
Lawson said the middle school campaign is a perfect example of how the benefit dinners are enhancing Georgia Christian’s reputation.
After attending a Georgia Christian benefit dinner, local businessman Joe “Bud” Dasher approached Lawson about the financial needs of the school.
Lawson invited Dasher to the school for a tour, and shortly afterward plans were confirmed for a $500,000 dollar-for-dollar matching donation.
“Part of the pledge was the money had to be raised in a year and construction finished within that year. He wanted students in the building during this academic year,” Lawson said. “I am proud to say we fulfilled our obligation and will have students in the building this school year.”
The approximately 10,000-square-foot middle school building includes classroom space, a specific area for art education, a science lab, a media center, and administrative offices.
The Joe Virgil Dasher Middle School, named for Joe Dasher’s father, will double the size of the current building and will allow Georgia Christian to expand the middle school enrollment from 75 to 150 students.
With phase one of the capital campaign completed, Lawson said phase two, which is scheduled to begin in two years, will secure funds to build a new high school.
The master plan also includes a multiplex building that will house an auditorium and classroom space, outdoor space for academic and social activities, and renovations to the existing athletic facilities.