HAMMOND, La. (WVLA) – (1/25/20) A Hammond man wrote a check for nearly $2,000 to Clemson University after the go fund me he created to buy Clemson’s mascot a better-looking costume gained traction.

As of Saturday, 351 people donated more than $3,100 for the cause, surpassing the fundraiser’s $1,000 goal.

Dion Grossnickle wrote that the fundraiser initially was a joke. He created it after LSU defeated Clemson in the National Championship game, a time when social media was buzzing with memes and insults targeted at the Clemson Tiger’s appearance.

“I would have never imagined people would have donated a single dollar to a page that was obviously a joke,” Grossnickle wrote in a Facebook post. “No, Clemson will not be using it for a new mascot.”

The funds sent to Clemson will be used for a nonprofit organization called Tigers United, which aims to help save wild tigers worldwide. Four universities with tigers as their mascots — LSU, Clemson, Auburn and the University of Missouri — are part of the Tigers United University Consortium.