Top NCAA Athletes Serve in Haiti

Austin, TX, May 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Top NCAA athletes will unite in a shared purpose and common good this month as they kick off their summers by serving in Haiti. Athletes from Texas A&M, University of Texas, Texas Tech, and University of Oklahoma will give up the comforts of home and spend a week working to help people in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere through Mission of Hope, Haiti.

72 athletes and 5 staff members from Texas A&M leave this Saturday for their trip, where they will plant trees, dig irrigation trenches, paint houses, and distribute water filters. 30 football players and almost the entire volleyball and soccer teams are participating, as well as several other athletes. This is the 2nd year A&M athletes have served in Haiti with MOH, and it has become a highly anticipated week-long trip. Among last year’s trip participants were Trevor Knight and NFL #1 draft pick Myles Garret.

“Last year, Texas A&M brought just under 30 athletes to Mission of Hope, Haiti to serve. This year, that number doubled. This trip is infectious among the athletes and paying dividends on and off the field. Students are connected to something transcendent and therefore excited to put themselves in a position to change the world,” says Jay Richardson, Director of Mobilization for Mission of Hope and A&M alum.

“You get to go and get your hands dirty and be in the hot sun. You break down the walls, you don’t have your phone for a week. So you’re just out there serving, and it turns into a whole lot of fun,” said Knight about last year’s trip.

University of Oklahoma athletes will also leave for Haiti this weekend. This is their 8th year serving in Haiti, with over 40 plus trip participants each year. OU football players, including linebackers Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Caleb Kelly, will be serving this week, and several women’s basketball players along with head coach Sherri Coale will be on the trip as well.

Texas Tech athletes will serve for the first time in Haiti from May 17-24th. OU, Texas Tech and A&M athletes will all come together on Wednesday night to unite in a time of community. On the heels of their return home, a group of University of Texas athletes will head to Mission of Hope May 24-31st for their first mission trip in Haiti as well.

“We love to see student athletes pour their hearts into serving others here in Haiti. It’s an opportunity for them to impact a lot of lives. It helps them grow individually and as a team,” says MOH President Brad Johnson.

Mission of Hope, Haiti exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti. They are currently feeding over 91,000 children daily, impacting over 9,000 students through education, training over 1,700 farmers, and providing medical care to over 30,000 patients.

For media inquiries or interviews, contact Bridget Henderson 512-963-2733 / bridget@mohhaiti.org.