I recently appealed to you in an open letter for your support in sending our football team to Brunswick, Ga., to play in the Sea Island Company Golden Isles Bowl Classic.

The budget to send the team, band and cheerleaders was approximately $45,000. This letter is to let you know that we reached our goal!

The support we received from the community was absolutely overwhelming, and the result was that in less than two weeks, $47,335 in pledges and/or cash was raised!

Contributions continue to come in to the Foundation.

Thanks for your support of this great experience for our football team, band and cheerleaders.

Any funds received above the cost of the trip will be deposited to a designated account in the Big Wolf Fund to be used for future championship play. Although the entire cost of the trip is not known at this time, the anticipated expense will be above $50,000.

I’m proud to report to you that our team not only played well and brought home the championship trophy, but they shutout Georgia Military College with a score of 21 – 0, the first shutout in the 12-year history of the Golden Isles Bowl Classic!

They were a class act during the entire weekend on and off the field!

I might add that the band and cheerleaders were also a great hit with the fans from Georgia Military College as well as the home crowd!

Finally, thank you to our approximately 500 fans for traveling over 700 miles to attend this game!

The fan support for this game and all year long has been great!

Dr. Howell Garner

Copiah-Lincoln Community College president, Wesson