Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Barnwell County Republican Party (BCRP), we would like to thank The People-Sentinel for its coverage of the S.C. FamilyFest "Christmas in the Country" event and for all the citizens of Barnwell County who came out to show their support for those soldiers who are assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Gordon. These soldiers were guest at Graham's Turnout hunting lodge from Dec. 23-27 and received a lot of support from our county, churches and civic organizations.

We would like to say a very special thanks to Randy and Holly Rimes for their tireless efforts in organizing this event that not only had an immediate impact in the lives of these soldiers for Christmas 2009, but will also have a long term impact on these soldiers.

Additionally, we would like to acknowledge Jim Schaffer for making Graham's Turnout hunting lodge available for this rewarding experience. This hunting lodge located in Bamberg County is certainly is a nice addition to our area and we are fortunate to have this lodge located in an adjacent county.

Christmas as we know is about giving and Barnwell County had this unique opportunity to demonstrate to these soldiers the reason for the season. Going forward I hope Barnwell County will actively support S.C. FamilyFest to ensure "Christmas in the Country" continues to be a huge success.

The BCRP was delighted that we could participate and offer our support in this event, and view our participation as an honor and privilege. We realize there was an inordinate amount of hard work and many hours of logistics required in making this type of event a success. Those of us who know Holly Rimes realize the tremendous sacrifices she made in planning and executing this very special event for our soldiers.

Sincerely,
Ben Kinlaw
chairman,
Barnwell County
Republican Party