PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach teen is using his passion to help others his age in less fortunate situations.
Rafe Cochran was first inspired by Food For The Poor when he was 9 years old. The organization visited his school to share their mission, and it didn't take long for him to ask his parents if they could make a trip down to their headquarters in Coconut Creek.
Food For The Poor is one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States. They provide food, housing, clean water, healthcare, emergency relief, and education opportunities to families in need.
Already an avid golfer, Rafe got to work doing what he does best, golf.
Rafe has since partnered with the organization for nearly a decade. Together they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through golf tournaments to build homes and classrooms for children in Haiti and Jamaica.
"I think education will last with people forever," Rafe said. "And I think education, especially with the youth, can break a cycle, the cycle of poverty that they are in."
The sixth annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic will be on Friday, May 6, at Trump Internation Golf Club.
At Friday's tournament, Rafe hopes to raise at least $140,000 to relieve overcrowded conditions at McGrath High School in Treadways, Jamaica. The classic will fund the construction of two buildings with six classrooms to accommodate 140 children and six staff members.
"They don't have an education because the schooling systems around where they live is in terrible condition, or it's not even there, its obsolete," Rafe said. "So, if you have that there and you give [them] the opportunity to be educated and to be educated in a safe environment, education will last with children forever."
The Rafe Cochran Golf Classic begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
If you are unable to attend, but would like to support the event, click here to donate.