Young American golfer Rafe Cochran is laser-focused on the eighth annual Rafe Cochran Golf Classic, scheduled for April 29, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, which he says has become his favourite project.

Proceeds from the event will support much-needed upgrades at the Brompton Primary School in St Elizabeth. This will be the seventh school in Jamaica that Cochran has helped expand.

“The classic is a time when everyone can come together and support a good cause,” Cochran said. “It is really a great day where everyone has a blast. However, most importantly, together we are raising funds to build a school that will educate children in Jamaica for generations to come, which is our main goal.”

Food for the Poor President/CEO Ed Raine said Cochran’s work has had a tremendous impact at the organisation. “When you look at the history of Rafe’s support of Food for the Poor, you can’t help but be inspired by his consistent dedication and commitment. He’s an outstanding young man, and we’re privileged that he has chosen to work with us for so many years.”

Cochran, for his part, has found the mission of working on schools in Jamaica to be greatly rewarding.

“I think once someone is educated, it helps that person to get out of the cycle of poverty, which gives them a better opportunity to succeed. To me, when anyone has access to a valuable education, that is golden.”

Sheena McKenzie-Scott, who has been the principal at Brompton Primary School since 2018, also understands the value of education and has high hopes and aspirations for her students.

“I want to have them thinking critically and uplift them, so they don’t have to be unemployed,” she said. “I want them to think big and aim high.” Like many St. Elizabeth towns, Brompton’s population of some 3700 is mainly composed of farmers, with others being skilled tradesmen or public sector workers. More than one-third of the students at Brompton Primary School receive assistance through the government-funded Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

The school presently does not have enough space to accommodate its 499 students and is susceptible to flooding in heavy rain. Built primarily of wood, the school is crumbling in disrepair, and substantial structural rot brought on by water intrusion is creating a safety hazard for students and staff. The health hazard is compounded by termite and mouldInfestations.

The project includes the construction of four additional classrooms, an Administrative unit and guidance counsellor’s office, and a Staff Restroom.

Although he has yet to have a chance to visit the school, Cochran hopes to do so before he heads off to college at Atlanta’s Emory University this autumn.

Now 19 years old, Cochran began playing golf at the age of six. Three years later, after a Food for the Poor representative visited his class, he channelled his passion for golf into becoming one of the organisation’s youngest supporters by raising money to build two homes for families in Ganthier, Haiti, achieving the milestone by seeking donations to match shots he made at a golf tournament – US$100 for pars, $200 for birdies, and $250 for eagles.

Cochran has hosted the golf classic annually since 2016, pausing only in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. By age 14, he had raised money to build 10 homes in Haiti and later to build or expand three schools in Jamaica. Last year, he supported the expansion of the Innswood High School in St. Catherine.

In addition to the excitement of the game, the Rafe Cochran Golf Classic Tournament will include various raffle items, with proceeds going toward the project.