If I have heard it said once, I have heard it said a hundred times, “Copiah-Lincoln Community College here in Natchez is a gem of an institution.” Sometimes people call it Natchez’s best-kept secret.

Well, Co-Lin is not much of a secret anymore. More and more high school and adult students are discovering what a great educational facility we have here. The Miss-Lou also is discovering not just the educational asset that Co-Lin is, but the economic benefit. The campus employs about 80 full- and part-time staff and serves about 800 full- and part-time students, who have a chance to stay at home and get a great education. Furthermore, Co-Lin Natchez has an annual budget of more than $3 million, much of which is payroll.

It is no wonder, then that I am proud to serve on the Co-Lin Foundation Board of Directors, which brings me to my purpose of writing to you. As a board member, I see first-hand the needs students have at our Natchez campus.

Many students must have some form of assistance to better themselves and go to college. However, not all student expenses are always covered by financial aid and grants. This is where our foundation comes in. Each year, we give scholarships to several deserving incoming sophomores. I have seen the smiles on their faces as their names are called to receive the checks on Awards Night. We are able to give the scholarships because of fundraisers. The biggest one for the Natchez campus is the Natchez Golf Classic, which is now in its 15th year.

We need you to help participate in the tournament even if you don’t play golf. We need to have teams sign up to play. A corporate sponsorship for a four-person team is $550, which includes a hole sign, T-shirt for the players, along with two mulligans for each player. A player/hole sponsorship is $150, which includes a hole sign, T-shirt and two mulligans. A hole sign sponsorship is $75. An individual player is $100 and includes a T-shirt and two mulligans. We have a corporate team trophy, and prizes for low gross and low net teams.

The tournament will be Thursday, April 23, at Beau Pre’ Country Club. Lunch and registration start at 11 a.m., a hole in one shoot-out for a 2015 Nissan Vehicle will be at 12:30 p.m., and the shotgun start is at 1 p.m. Carts are provided for all players.

This is a great tournament, with lots of fun, food, beverages, and prizes both on and off the course. Great River Nissan has sponsored the hole-in-one prize and the shoot-out prize and is hoping to give away two 2015 Nissan vehicles. We will also have other on-course and some great door prizes. I have heard year after year that Co-Lin puts on one of the best golf tournaments around. It’s true. I have played in the tournament as well as helped the Co-Lin folks at registration.

So, please help us. Sponsors already have signed up and players are registering. We would love to have you with us on that day, either in person or in sponsorship. We can e-mail you a flier or send you one. You can contact Nancy McFarland at Co-Lin by calling 601-446-1207, or nancy.mcfarland@colin.edu.

Bill Salters, Sr. Vice President of Concordia National Bank, is a member of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Foundation Board of Directors.