Professional golfer Kevin Streelman and his wife, Courtney, decided to start donating to Compassion International, a faith-based organization working to break the cycle of childhood poverty around the world, just over a year ago.
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Soon after their donation, they received a letter telling them their gift helped to build the Etoile Brillante Baptiste Child Development Center in Togo. Officially known as the Togolese Republic, Togo is a small country located in West Africa.
The letter also came with a picture of children at the development center the Streelman’s gift helped to build.
“I mean, I’ll try not to get emotional thinking about it, but like the fact that these kids, part of the other side of the world, who I’ve never met, (get) just a little bit of help or having a chance to learn about Jesus, get clean water for the day, get some food, their family gets some medical attention,” Streelman told PGATour.com. “To be a little part of that is more important than whether I hit the green on 17 this week. It’s been a special, special charity to me and my wife.”
Now, Streelman, who has two PGA Tour victories and 40 top-10 finishes to his name since turning pro in 2001, wants to do even more.
He partnered with Compassion International to start a campaign with the goal of building and sustaining child development centers in two neighboring villages. Anyone who contributes $100 or more will get a personally-autographed photo of Streelman. Donations of $1,000 or more receive a pair of tickets to a PGA Tour event. And the first person to give $10,000 gets to play a round of golf with Streelman in Scottsdale, Ariz.
It’s an honor to partner with @compassion in this exciting campaign. Together we can impact countless young people in need of help. Please read this and if it weighs on your heart, JOIN ME in doing “a little bit” to help so much.
🙌🏻❤️🙏 https://t.co/DGnyMKixSg— Kevin Streelman (@Streels54) June 19, 2019
The 40-year-old talked with Sports Spectrum about his faith journey in an interview in December.
“Jesus means everything to me,” Streelman said. “What He did on the cross bridges the gap between us and God, and eternal life. His teachings are the foundation of me and my family’s life. It is my prayer everyday to represent Him both on and off the golf course.”
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