SRP donates $25,000 to Boy & Girls Club summer camp
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - SRP Federal Credit Union made a big donation toward a summer program of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Augusta.
The credit union presented a $25,000 check Monday at the Oasis VIP Great Futures Academy.
The money will go toward the Oasis Club Summer Camp.
The camp has about 50 participants every summer, and includes breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks, along with sports and other activities.
“We are incredibly thankful for SRP’s continued of our organization and for their relentless commitment to helping youth in our community,” said Kim Evans, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta.
We spoke with Catherine Center, the vice president of development at the Boys and Girls Club, about how this funding will help keep the summer camp up and running.
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“We are also very focused on mental, physical health and wellbeing, so we have lots of athletic programming, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, music programs and field trips, so the generous gift from SRP Federal Credit Union will ensure that the youth here at oasis camp have access to everything that they need.”
Center says they also have a program helping teens with workforce opportunities.
“Our teen programing is really geared towards ensuring that teens have a safe place where they can go and talk to a trusted adult but also ensuring that when they graduate they have a clear and defined plan for the future so we are always coming up with workforce opportunities where they can learn about all of these different industries that maybe they wouldn’t be exposed to before,” said Center.
The check presentation came as the Boys & Girls Clubs plan another program: the 2025 launch of its Aviation Academy.
The immersive summer program, made possible through a partnership with local business leader Austin Jackson of M. Austin Jackson, injury lawyers. is designed to expose youths to the world of aviation, offering.
Fifteen students, ages 14 to 18, have been selected to participate.
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They’ll explore a variety of career paths within aviation — from engineering and air traffic control to military aviation and commercial airline operations.
“This program is about lifting our youth to new heights — literally and figuratively,” said Austin Jackson, founding sponsor, program partner and experienced pilot. “Aviation Academy opens the door to high-paying, high-demand career paths that many students may never have considered or had access to previously.”
Highlights of the program include:
- Guest speaker Marie Eve Poirier-Harris from American Airlines, who will guide students through the inner workings of commercial airlines,
- A visit to Daniel Field, where students will experience a state-of-the-art flight simulator and tour hangar operations.
- A deep dive into air traffic control and tower operations during a site visit to Augusta Regional Airport.
- A tour of Shaw Air Force Base, where students will witness the military side of aviation.
- A behind-the-scenes tour of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“This is more than a summer program,” says Kim Evans, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta. “We’re giving our Teens access to careers they may never have imagined, and the confidence to believe they belong in those spaces. Aviation Academy helps them see a future that soars far beyond the familiar.”
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The club says it is always looking for donations and volunteers.
“We know learning loss is something that happens when school is out for the summer, so we’ve made sure that that doesn’t happen when youth are in our clubs,” said Center.
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