Stand in the Gap

Who wakes up at 4:30 AM to borrow his pastor’s van, pick up high school football players, drive them to summer practice, and then drop them back home?

COACH JUPITER WILSON.

In just five months at Garinger High School, Coach Jupiter Wilson has become much more than a football coach. He felt called to be the sixth head coach since September 2017—the last time Garinger won a football game.

“I didn’t know until I arrived that God had a lot more planned for me than football,” Wilson says.
“Things are going to change at the G, and God gets the glory. The kids are starting to see and feel it.”

Coach Wilson wears many hats: 

Teacher 
Tutor – players can’t play without grades
Laundry man - washing uniforms after practice 
Cell phone confiscator 
Philanthropist — buys equipment with personal funds 
Husband. Father. Disciplinarian. Mentor. 

“I will not give up on these kids,” he promises. 

This spring, Jupiter made sure every graduating senior with a college plan received a laptop from Jane’s Fund. When Garinger’s new principal, Dr. Shannon Clemons, came on board at the end of the year, he introduced her to Jane’s Fund too. Never once did Jupiter ask for help. But when we visited Garinger last week, we decided to follow Coach Wilson’s lead and stand in the gap: 

Gas cards. Helmets. Pads. Locker room repairs. Uniforms... 
…Basic necessities nobody is providing

Nearly 20 years ago, Little Jane Harrell recognized a similar gap: students living in shelters often don’t have backpacks or school supplies. She started filling that gap. Today, Jane’s Fund is humbled to join the Garinger High School Team with a shared goal: improve attendance, boost performance, build morale—and help Coach Jupiter Wilson grow a championship football program full of future leaders.

Today, on Miracle Monday, Coach Wilson is loading up 40 student-athletes and driving them to H3 Healthcare to complete their sports physicals. Thanks to his dedication—and the power of community rallying together—the Garinger Wildcats will be ready for their season opener on August 22nd.

There’s no better feeling than filling a gap. We all have teams: in our homes, our jobs, our neighborhoods, our city. Let's follow Coach Jupiter Wilson (and Little Jane Harrell) and stand in the gaps around us.