Every now and then, someone in the public eye does something remarkable by committing their resources and influence to help others. That is exactly what Major League Baseball star pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi have just done.
The couple has announced that they are giving away their $9.75 million Missouri mansion and land to a Christian camp for children with special needs and chronic illnesses, as reported by NBC Philadelphia.
The massive house boasts 104.7 acres of land with more than 1,700 feet of shoreline along Table Rock Lake.
Camp Barnabas has two locations in the Ozarks and is centered around Jesus. They declare in their core values that “Christ comes first always” and staffers should “point people to Christ in everything we do.”
“There are tons of amazing charities in southwest Missouri,” Cole Hamels said in a statement. “Out of all of these, Barnabas really pulled on our heartstrings. “Seeing the faces, hearing the laughter, reading the stories of the kids they serve; there is truly nothing like it. Barnabas makes dreams come true, and we felt called to help them in a big way.
The 32,000-square-foot mansion will be the largest gift ever received in the history of Barnabas, according to a press release by the Hamels Foundation.
The camp also caters to campers’ siblings and parents, as well as missionaries. The camp said that Hamel’s extraordinary gift “really pulled on our heartstrings.” They added:
“Seeing the faces, hearing the laughter, reading the stories of the kids they serve — there is truly nothing like it … we felt called to help them in a big way.”
The gift has come at exactly the right time, as the camp seeks to expand.
“Our mission is to change lives through disability ministry, and we’ve been strategically looking for ways to expand our ministry outside of a summer camp,” said Jason Brawner, CEO of Camp Barnabas. “We have no doubt this gift will allow us to do just that.”
Back in 2012, committed Christians Cole and Heidi adopted a baby girl from Ethiopia named Reeve.
Check out more about the camp below:
(H/T: The Blaze)