Palm Beach Florida Weekly

Rafe Cochran Golf Classic to benefit Food For The Poor


Palm Beach golfer Rafe Cochran, 17, is ready to host his annual fundraiser in support of Food For The Poor. The sixth annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic will be Friday, May 6, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. This year, proceeds will fund the expansion of a fifth school in Jamaica through FFTP. COURTESY PHOTO

Palm Beach golfer Rafe Cochran, 17, is ready to host his annual fundraiser in support of Food For The Poor. The sixth annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic will be Friday, May 6, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. This year, proceeds will fund the expansion of a fifth school in Jamaica through FFTP. COURTESY PHOTO

With 16 foursomes already registered, organizers say excitement is building for the sixth annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic, scheduled for Friday, May 6, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The event is a benefit for Food For The Poor.

“We’re really happy to have so many golfers already signed up to join us this year, and we expect more will register as we get closer to the May 5 deadline,” Mr. Cochran said in a statement. “This tournament means so much to so many people. Everyone has a great time, and they have the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting a project that will impact students and their community now and in the future.”

The classic begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m.,followedbya1p.m.shotgunstart and a closing reception at the end of play when winners will be announced.

Participants will help 17-year-old Mr. Cochran raise money to relieve overcrowded conditions at McGrath High School in Treadways, Jamaica. Originally built to accommodate 600 students ages 12 to 15, the school has a population of 1,200 students, ages 12 to 18, with many from low-income families. The classic will fund the construction of two buildings with six classrooms to accommodate 140 children and six staff members. Many students attend classes outdoors beneath gazebos or trees and in open areas under staircases and in corridors.

Mr. Cochran began making a name in the golfing world at the age of 6. When he was 9, he became one of Food For The Poor’s youngest donors, raising money to build nine homes in Haiti. The Oxbridge Academy junior is an award-winning golfer who competes in tournaments year-round and devotes his time and talent to helping those in need through his support of FFTP.

“It is so impressive that Rafe has made education the focus of his fundraising effort,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said in a statement. “Education is an important factor in helping people lift themselves out of poverty, and Rafe understands that. He’s an extraordinary young man whose depth of compassion and commitment to helping the less fortunate is incredible.”

This year’s classic also features a raffle, including golf foursomes at Trump International Golf Club and at Banyan Cay Resort and Golf. A third foursome at Palm Beach Par 3 also includes a gift card to Al Fresco Restaurant & Bar. In addition, six winners will each receive a naming opportunity at one of the new McGrath High School classrooms built with proceeds from the classic.

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training, and micro-enterprise development assistance. Info: www.Food-ForThePoor.org.

To learn more about the tournament and sponsorship opportunities, contact Trichina Chue, special events manager, at TrichinaC@foodforthepoor.org or 954-427-2222, Ext. 4021, or visit www.Food-ForThePoor.org/rafe. ¦

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