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Bush To Come To Valdosta

Written By: John Stephen

Everyone has seen George W. Bush on a screen or in a paper, but now Valdostans will have the chance to see him in the flesh.

In December, Bush will be the keynote speaker at Georgia Christian School’s annual Benefit Dinner, which will be held at VSU.

GCS is a small, private institution in Valdosta that has a couple hundred students from grades pre-kindergarten to 12th, according to Private School Review’s website.

Since GCS began having the Benefit Dinner in 2008 to raise money and awareness for the school, it has managed to land several notable speakers, such as former Arkansas governor and Fox News personality Mike Huckabee (2011), former First Lady Laura Bush (2012), and four-time Super Bowl champion and sports commentator Terry Bradshaw (2013).

Each year, the school tries to top last year’s event with an even bigger speaker, and with “Dubya” booked, this year is no exception. It comes as no surprise that tickets and tables for GCS’s Benefit Dinners sell out rapidly.

Details on this year’s dinner are shrouded in mystery. Among other things, the exact date, time and cost to attend remain unknown.

Brad Lawson, GCS president, said he is not allowed to discuss the event due to security reasons.

“I would love to shout (about) it from the mountain tops, but can’t,” Lawson said.

VSU’s Student Life office is handling preparations for the event, but Alisha Stabler, reservation coordinator for the Student Union, said she also could not comment on the dinner because it is not an official VSU event.

What we do know is that when Laura Bush visited in 2012, sponsorships for the event ranged from a modest $500 to a hefty $15,000. A spot at this year’s dinner will most likely be even pricier.

After Bush left the White House in 2009, he was paid an average fee of $100,000-$150,000 for each speech he delivered, according to iWatch News. GCS raised around $150,000 at their 2012 Benefit Dinner featuring Bush’s wife, Laura.

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