Bringing Eddie Eagle to the Community

When you speak with Sgt. Donald Babbin of the Brunswick Police Department, two things become very apparent.

First, he has a strong New York accent that stands out in Brunswick, GA. And second, he has an even stronger passion for the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program.



“I wanted to start the program here in Brunswick after my daughter met Eddie Eagle at the [NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits] in Charlotte,” Sgt. Babbin explains.

Now, he is on a mission to bring Eddie Eagle to every single school in Glynn County. So this summer, the city came together and raised money for the police department to purchase their own Eddie Eagle costume. Since then, they have done presentations for two schools, reaching over 1,000 PreK - 4th graders!

A few days after a presentation at Goodyear Elementary School, Sgt. Babbin was at the police station when a little girl came through the lobby. When she saw him, she exclaimed, "I know him, he was at my school!” It’s clear that Eddie Eagle made quite the impression during the visit.

Currently, the program is taught by the community outreach officer but moving forward, Sgt. Babbin wants to have patrol officers assist with the program. He explains that patrol officers are the ones around the kids the rest of the time when they are not at school. This will help foster an even stronger relationship between local law enforcement and the community.

With several more classes planned for the rest of the year, the Eddie Eagle Program knows Glynn County schools are in good hands with the Brunswick Police Department and Sgt. Babbin.