Backyard Brawl to Benefit CARA

When Mississippi College and Millsaps renew their football rivalry in the Backyard Brawl, the big game on September 4 will benefit a Jackson animal shelter.

For the fourth year in a row, Community Animal Rescue & Adoption or CARA will seek donations from football fans and use the event to promote awareness of their needs. This year’s game will be played at Harper Davis Field on the Millsaps campus in Jackson beginning at 7 p.m.

“We still need money, we need food, and volunteers,” says CARA Executive Director Jerri Bennett, a former MC professor.

CARA always needs funds to fix up its 30,000 square-foot warehouse at 960 North Flag Chapel Road in Jackson. The facility is home to more than 200 dogs plus 60 cats and other animals. There’s always a squeeze on space. “We are just trying to patch up what we have. We have to patch up the roof,” Bennett says.

Despite limited resources, “we have no plans to close our doors,” Bennett said. With the USA still struggling with a bad economy, “so many non-profits have financial woes,” she said. “We are still getting donations.”

The no-kill animal shelter plans to bring a few dogs and puppies to the Backyard Brawl along with stacks of brochures and several volunteers. Last year’s game at Mississippi College raised $1,000 for CARA through donations made by fans at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

The Mississippi College-Millsaps rivalry dates back to 1920 with MC winning the first game 60-0. Last year’s game in Clinton was much closer with the Choctaws edging the Majors in a 47-44 thriller.

MC finished the 2009 season with a 9-3 record, won the American Southwest Conference title and made it to the post-season NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time. Choctaws head coach Norman Joseph was named the American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year. Some sports magazines have listed the Choctaws as high as No. 20 in national Division III pre-season polls.

After opening the 2010 season with the Backyard Brawl, the Choctaws will tackle another Jackson metro foe when they face the Belhaven Blazers in Clinton on September 11.

For more information on CARA, call 601-922-7575.