Callie Cole’s dream of serving as a missionary to other countries was cut short when she was critically injured in an accident on Sept. 10, 2009, while returning home from a softball game. But others have been living it for her in the years since.
A nonprofit in her honor called Callie’s Mission has raised $580,000 over the years, enough to fund 920 scholarships for foreign missions.
Now, Cole’s family is getting ready to hand it over to the Collegiate Mission of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.
“After 12 years, the family is just tired of doing fundraisers after fundraisers,” said Jacob Glasz, the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Bogue Chitto, who is close to the Cole family and has been active with the organization.
Glasz said Cole was a 17-year-old Brookhaven Academy senior softball player who had pitched the game of her life just before she wrecked on Highway 583 in Lincoln County, about five miles away from home.
She suffered paralysis and traumatic brain injuries and now needs round-the-clock care.
Glasz said one of Cole’s relatives, Jamie Gatlin, “knew about Callie’s heart” and that she was interested in missions.
“When she was in vacation Bible school at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Lincoln County, she saw a rickshaw and expressed her desire to go abroad, ride a rickshaw and tell people about Jesus,” said Glasz, the former student minister at Pleasant Hill.
Churches from Lincoln County and Smithdale, as well as relatives and others decided to raise money to create a scholarship fund for students 15-25 to go on international missions.
“In 2010, Callie’s Mission was established,” Glasz said. “They held a golf tournament that raised more than $70,000.”
He said handing the fundraising and financial management of the scholarship fund over to the Mississippi Baptist Convention will be one less thing for Cole’s family to worry about since the convention will manage donations and applications for the scholarships.
“Callie’s Mission was one of the neatest organization’s I’ve ever been apart of, and Callie’s family was one of the neatest families s I’ve been apart of,” he said. “This is a huge family and they absolutely love to share the gospel.
“These scholarships have sent hundreds of students to 78 countries to six continents.”
