Houston Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye is on his way to visit Nigeria for the first time in eight years, The Houston Chronicle reported Sunday.
Okoye and his brother Arinze along with their cousin Okey Chidume have made plans to do a lot of good during their trip.
Amobi managed to convince five other NFL players to make the trip with his relatives – the players are financing the trip with their own money, the Chronicle reported.
The group will give 20 scholarships to Nigerians who plan to attend a university in Nigeria and deliver HIV test kits to teaching hospitals, the Chronicle reported.
Perhaps the most astonishing factor in all of this is that Amobi is only 20 years old.
This young man, who has so much going for him, including a $17.6 million contract with the Texans, according to the Chronicle, has decided to dedicate a vast sum of money in order to support education in his home country.
Although the problems of an entire country cannot be solved through the generosity of a few high-profile athletes, we believe their actions can serve as a flagship for others to follow.
Other professional athletes have gone on trips similar to Amobi’s.
NHL Boston Bruins player Andrew Ference traveled to Tanzania in July 2007 as part of the Right to Play program. The program was designed to give orphaned children an opportunity to let loose with friends.
These athletes’ actions can serve to show us all that sometimes we need to be the change – the revolution – we are seeking.
No doubt many of these athletes receive quite a bit of press coverage for what they do, but The Daily Cougar would like to think these players are contributing their money to such causes for different reasons.
For a person to become involved in something so much bigger than his or herself, is commendable at the very least.
Many of us give little to no thought to the suffering people experience across this world – much less actively try to make a difference.
