CAMILLA, Ga. (WALB) - With help from the South Georgia community, one Camilla couple can take over 30 children on a vacation to Panama City Beach.

WALB spoke with the couple about how South Georgia helped them exceed their goal.

A few months back, Robert and Vanessa Williams got the idea to take local children on a day trip to Panama City. According to Vanessa, who is an educator in Mitchell County, many of these children had never been on vacation, let alone left the state. The community caught wind of their efforts and donated enough money to make this trip a reality.

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“Well, it means a lot to me because actually, I thought this wasn’t going to get off the ground. So, I mean, when we did the interview with you guys, it just blew up. And so, when the funds started to come in, me and my wife, we started to high-five like ‘yes we got it, we did it!’ The kids are going to be excited, we are so excited,” said Robert.

The Williams have raised enough money to take 37 kids on a bus to Panama City. The trip will include breakfast on the go, lunch at the beach, and dinner with game play at Dave and Busters.

“I’m ecstatic, I really am. To see the students’ faces when I talked to them about if they had interested in going. They were like, ‘Me, Miss Williams? Really, Miss Williams?” So, they’re excited, very excited," said Vanessa.

The couple says they are still accepting donations, as they would like to raise just a little bit more to ensure the children can eat a quick lunch at the beach.

If you are interested in donating, send an email to [email protected] for more information or visit their GoFundMe here.

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