Robert Mendes, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater New Bedford / Wareham remembers his first Kukoo conversation.

Wareham club director Barbara Sullivan and new board member Anthi Frangiadis outlined for him architect Frangiadis' vision for a year-long bird-themed educational project that would culminate in a $100-a-plate dinner and auction to benefit the club. They would call it the "Kukoo project."

"I thought they were nuts. I thought they were cuckoo," Mendes said Saturday night -- addressing the more than 140 guests assembled at Marion's Kittansett Club for the Kukoo dinner and auction.

They were cuckoo enough to have raised $30,000 for the club.

"That is tremendous," Sullivan said Tuesday of the Wareham club's first-ever major fundraiser. "It was worth every bit of effort put into it."

Frangiadis was almost at a loss for words Saturday night, telling the guests: "You have truly exceeded my expectations."

Although culminating in the dinner and auction, the project had an ongoing educational component. From the time Kukoo debuted in Wareham's Christmas Parade until the last birdhouse crafted by kids at the club went up for auction, the project aimed to involve club members in learning about and appreciating birds.

In Sullivan's words: "It was not just a fun event. It was about educating the children."

Is there a Kukoo II in the works?

"We have a plan," Sullivan said this week. "Kukoo was our kickoff. ... But it will be very different. We do know what we want to do!"

In addition to Frangiadis, Sullivan gave a shout-out to club Senior Development Director Maureen Sylvia and the dozens of volunteers who did everything from writing the software for the auction (Sylvia's husband Ed) to obtaining dozens of elaborate birdhouses and other auction items to coaxing open the "birds of paradise" flowers in time to fill centerpeices for an elegant dinner.