Six Families in Haiti to Receive New Homes, Thanks to an 11- year-old’s Determination
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 17, 2016) Today, Rafe Cochran presented a check from his inaugural Rafe Cochran Golf Classic held on April 22, at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., to Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor, at the organization’s headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla.
Standing in front of an auditorium filled with Food For The Poor staff and his parents, Rafe also presented Mahfood with a golf classic trophy designed by his grandmother and a baseball cap with the golf classic’s logo on it. The soon to be sixth-grader said, “I am giving you the first check today from my tournament to help families in Haiti. But we’re going to make this an annual event.”
Thanks to the vision and philanthropic efforts of the 11-year-old, 21 teams of foursomes who participated in the golf tournament raised enough funds to build six double-unit concrete block homes for families in Haiti through the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor.
“I would like to personally thank you, the parents, for a job well done,” said Mahfood. “He is a winner, not only on the golf course and for the work he’s doing, but because he recognizes what’s really important in life. Well done, well done.”
When Rafe was 9, he 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 achieved that goal by having his generous supporters pledge $100 for pars, $200 for birdies and $250 for eagles during one of his tournaments. Last year, when he was 10, he presented another check to the charity to benefit a family in Thomazeau, Haiti.
“We are very proud of Rafe for the initiative he has taken and the genuine love he has for giving back. If he stays on this course, he’ll have a very fulfilling life,” said Jay Cochran, Rafe’s father. “When he was born, my mother told us ‘Get ready, a professor has arrived’ and she was right, we’re learning a lot from our son.”
Food For The Poor also had a surprise for Rafe. The charity announced that Bogue Infant School in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, has named one of its classrooms after him. The Rafe Cochran Classroom of Determination hopefully will inspire the young minds of future generations to always follow their dreams.
To help Rafe build more homes for families in desperate need, mail checks payable to Food For The Poor to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla. 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 108863” on your check to ensure your donation is correctly routed.
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 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, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Wanda Wright
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
[email protected]