Sean,

Linda and I want to thank you, Mike Juby, Bill Peterman, other Kansas College Wrestling Fund commitee members and the other members of the USAW-KS Kids Board for the recognition of our contributions to the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. We also want to thank the Kansas Kids State tournament committee who allowed the recognition to be done at the State tournament.

I think it was a very appropriate place and time for such a recognition since it was before a large group of young Kansas wrestlers and their families who will hopefully someday directly benefit from the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. I told Sean McCarthy on Saturday before the award recognition as we looked over all the young wrestlers sitting on the mats in front of us that we did all this work for this Fund for the future benefit of these young wrestlers. Sean said that was absolutely correct.

I was very glad that my son Jacob was there too because the young wrestlers and their parents got to see him and hear about his success as a college student athlete both as a wrestler and most important as a student. This is what the fund is all about which is helping to provide better college wrestling and academic opportunities in Kansas colleges and universities for our young Kansas wrestlers.

It would have been wonderful if this fund had been started 35 to 40 years ago. We may have developed a base of over several thousand people and businesses as regular annual donors by now and a very large endowment fund. But this is what we can and need to accomplish going forward. Linda and I no longer have a son or daughter actively involved in wrestling now that Jacob's college career is over. But we have made the decision to continue to donate on an annual basis to the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. We need Kansas wrestling alumni members parents, fans and former wrestlers to continue to support the sport that gave so much to them and their children by contributing to this fund.

I know it is difficult for many to give a financial contribution at this time. I am asking all of you with young wrestlers and all others in our Kansas wrestling community to consider starting now to become regular donors to the Kansas College Wrestling Fund. I would ask you to consider donating at least $120 a year or $10 a month. I believe the Fund now has a method for you to automatically be able to do that thru your bank account or credit card. Just think how much money we could raise to further college wrestling opportunities in Kansas if all members including former wrestlers were averaging contributions of at least $100 annually.

Please consider becoming a donor to the Kansas College Wrestling Fund this week. I hope you will consider doing this on an annual basis and work to promote it in your communities. There is a College Fund link to the left on this website to get more information. Give what you can both in time and money to helping this Fund be a success for the future of college wrestling in Kansas.

Thank you for the recognition you gave to my family on Saturday.

http://kcwf.usawks.com/