GMC Prep teacher and Chick-fil-A Leader Academy facilitator Scott Seagraves undergoes an interview from ‘Small Town Big Deal’ hosts Jann Carl and Rodney Miller during Friday's filming. The program covered the Early Learning Center's Family Fun Day that members of the leader academy helped facilitate for the second year in a row.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — For the second year in a row GMC Prep students taking part in the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy helped the kids at the Baldwin County Early Learning Center have a blast during their annual family fun day.

This year, however, the collaboration garnered a lot more attention, as the students will be featured on the nationally syndicated television program, “Small Town Big Deal.”

Co-hosts Rodney Miller and Jann Carl were at the ELC Friday along with their crewmembers to film an episode of their show that will most likely air in the fall.

“‘Small Town Big Deal’ is like our love letter to America,” Carl told The Union-Recorder. “We just feel like there’s a whole lot to love and so often the great things and the good things don’t get seen or heard. So we went on a mission to highlight, spotlight, and celebrate people, places, and things that are doing great things.”

Miller, who came up with the idea for the show about 10 years ago, admitted that not all of their shows take place in small towns, but uplifting news and events are always at the forefront. He and Carl have covered the tug-of-war across the Mississippi River and were heading to Vidalia Onion Festival after leaving Milledgeville.

“We have some key sponsors like Chick-fil-A who support us doing stories like this about people making a difference,” Miller said. “We do a lot of that kind of stuff. We like to do a lot of fun stuff, but every now and then we put in some stuff like this, too. We’re on 170 stations across America. Our Nielson rating last six-month average was at one million viewers a week. That puts us in a very elite group. It’s a highly watched show and we’re on ABC in most of America in the major markets. … We’ve just grown from very humble beginnings. We’re also on a small network called RFD-TV, which is only in about half of America. Getting into syndication and getting put into broadcast really took us to another level. That happened a year and a half ago.”

Each year the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy works toward producing a local impact project, and because the Atlanta-based restaurant is also a sponsor of “Small Town Big Deal” the show has covered a handful of impact projects in the past.

“We love their high school leader academy program, so every year we kind of sit down and look at all the impact projects,” Carl said. “We just heard great things about Georgia Military College Leader Academy and their project. We said: ‘They’re so great we want to come and see them in action!’ We just barely have seen a little bit since it started, so I’m excited to see the interaction between the kids from the high school and the kids from here at the ELC. I remember when I was little, and if a high schooler paid attention to me I was the cat’s meow. That’s a way to really instill in these kids I think at a very young age that somebody cares about me besides a grown-up. Grown-ups are supposed to care.”

Miller said they have filmed in 39 different states and have covered a variety of leadership-building organizations. He said the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy is one of the top programs for grooming the leaders of tomorrow.  

“It’s not only doing a good thing, but also encouraging other people to do good things, which is important,” he said.

The Early Learning Center’s Family Fun Day invited parents to come by the school and spend the day watching their children have the time of their lives. Kids raced, played tug-of-war in the hallway, and jumped around in bounce houses as they celebrated the near completion of the school year. The GMC Prep students supervised the children to ensure they have the best time possible while also keeping safe. In addition, a book bag with books and school supplies was given to the young students by the leader academy.

“It’s just really special to see all of them smiling and having fun with their parents and their friends,” said GMC Prep senior Megan Leben.

Leben has been a part of the leader academy since its inception three years ago and said the program has taught her there are no limits to what she can accomplish.

“I think that you can really do anything you put your mind to if you have courage to and if you have a support system that helps you. I know we’re all so close in the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, and that’s part of being in a small school but part of it is also that we all realize the importance of serving others before ourselves. I think that’s something that will carry us through our whole lives.”

“Small Town Big Deal” premiered in September 2012 on Rural Farm Delivery-TV and reached syndication about a year and a half ago. It also airs on WSB Channel 2 out of Atlanta and WPGA Channel 58 out of Macon. Miller is a former CEO of McCormick International, which produces farming equipment and Carl is best known from her time as a host of Entertainment Tonight for 14 years.