Rafe Cochran Honored for His Commitment to Serving The Poor
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2017) Rafe Cochran is proof that you are never too young to make a difference.
Over the last three years, the 12-year-old has combined his desire to give back with his passion for golf to raise money and help Food For The Poor build homes for desperate families in Haiti.
Rafe, a sixth-grader at Palm Beach Day Academy, will be honored by Food For The Poor with the One For Change Award at The One Event on Friday, March 3, at The Colony Hotel, 155 Hammon Drive, Palm Beach, Fla.
“I am honored to receive this award. Every time I can help a person or help a family less fortunate, it makes me feel happy and glad,” said Rafe.
At 9, Rafe became one of Food For The Poor’s youngest donors when he gave a donation to the charity to build two homes for families in Ganthier, Haiti. He did it by asking his generous supporters to pledge money for shots he made at a golf tournament – $100 for pars, $200 for birdies and $250 for eagles.
In 2015, when Rafe was 10, he presented another check to the charity to benefit a family in Thomazeau, Haiti. In 2016, he organized his first full-fledged golf tournament. The inaugural Rafe Cochran Golf Classic at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club, his home golf course, attracted more than 80 golfers and raised enough money to build six double-unit homes in Haiti.
His second annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic is set for Saturday, April 22, 2017, at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach.
“I am trying to make it bigger and better, taking one step at a time, to help more families,” Rafe said. “Every dollar counts. Whatever you can give back, give back. A dollar goes a long way.”
“Rafe’s commitment to the poor shows all of us the powerful difference that one person – even a very young one – can make,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director.
Generous Food For The Poor donors will have a chance to help the charity continue its mission to help the poorest of the poor at The One Event.
The evening will feature cocktails, silent and live auctions, fine dining, dancing, and the opportunity to change the lives of families in desperate need. Proceeds from the event will support building a school in Mason Hall, one of Jamaica’s poorest communities.
Education always has been a seed deeply planted into the minds of the Jamaican people. The Caribbean nation has experienced its share of economic hardship – many parents cannot afford to pay school fees, or buy the books, school supplies or uniforms necessary to send their children to basic school. Many of the nation’s school buildings, such as the existing Mason Hall Primary School, are dilapidated or in desperate need of repair.
The new Mason Hall Primary and Infant School will be built by merging eight Food For The Poor single-unit houses into one 1,728-square-foot building with a corrugated metal roof, spacious classrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom with shower stalls and a playground – all to ensure an environment that fosters learning and achievement.
It will benefit 60 children ages 3 to 6 years old currently enrolled at the school. Older primary students also will benefit from less overcrowding. Infant schools are the backbone of the educational system in Jamaica because it is where young children develop their social skills and get the educational foundation needed to advance to primary school, which is equivalent to an elementary school in the United States.
The One Event committee chairwoman is Mary Frances Turner. Committee members include: Ryan and Amy Bridger, Jay and Diahann Cochran, Matt and Chrissie Ferguson, Malcolm and Lorrain Hall, Trip and Kate McCoy, Faith Morford, Ron and Dee Romeo, Russell Sherrill and Tony and Lore Smith.
The One Event will begin with cocktails and a silent auction at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2017, followed by dinner at 8 p.m.
The silent auction will feature special restaurant experiences, unique designer jewelry, travel getaways, original artwork and more.
For additional information regarding The One Event, including tickets available at $350 per person for general tickets and $250 per person for guests under 40, or sponsorship opportunities, please call 888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/palmbeach.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. Over the last 10 years, fundraising and other administrative costs averaged less than 5% of our expenses; more than 95% of all donations went directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]
