Gentlemen:
My son, John Eastlake is a new graduate of TESC. I am writing to personally thank you for the excellent education that he has received at Evergreen. Among John's successes at the College is his being nationally ranked as a Kung Fu martial arts champion in the name of Evergreen. Your support of this program is admirable. As I learned at parent orientation four years ago, "No, Mr. Eastlake, we do not have intramurals or NAIA sports, but we support and encourage the students to organize themselves into teams and compete." John and his championship team have worked hard for the past three years to accomplish this goal.
Last year, the Team received funding support from the Recreational Sports Program and the Students Activities Board. The Rec Sports Director, Arlene McMahon, provided funding for a handful of tournaments and also helped orchestrate the Team's fundraisers. Tournament victories placed the Evergreen Team in the top ten competitors in the nation as rated in the National Blackbelt League. The Team is scheduled to receive personal invitations to compete in the finals of the World Championships this December in Savannah, Georgia.
As you may be aware, funding is now in jeopardy. A change in school management personnel is impacting the Team in a negative manner. I encourage you to continue your support of the Team and Evergreen with funding and your personal interest in the Team's well being. Attending the finals in Savannah is in itself a real coup for Evergreen. I cannot think of a better way to demonstrate Evergreen's promotion of student learning through linking theory with practical applications. These students have developed discipline, organizational, interpersonal and business skills that would have taken far in excess of the three years of intensive effort had Evergreen not taken this novel approach to education. I salute you!
On a personal note as a parent, I have visited John at school many times. We always attended Kung Fu training before going to dinner. Sifu Dana has never failed to be gracious and generous with his time in explaining to me what the Team was doing and answering my questions. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Evergreen and Sifu Dana for helping me to raise my son.
Sincerely,
Bob
Robt. W. Eastlake