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Last week I spoke at The Gathering, a conference for foundation leaders and philanthropists that was hosted in Phoenix, Arizona. At the first evening session, Austin Gutwein, founder of Hoops of Hope, shared his story, which had already been captured on video by CBS Sports.
When Austin was nine, he started Hoops of Hope, a basketball marathon, to raise funds for children in Zambia who were orphaned because of A.I.D.S. Six years later, God has opened up amazing doors and Hoops of Hope has gained momentum in bringing about deep justice. He says he’s not even that great of a basketball player, but he loves the sport and cares about kids around the world.
Austin is now fifteen, and while I’m always a bit concerned when we hero-ize teenagers who perhaps aren’t developmentally ready for that sort of attention, his deep justice story is inspiring. I love this quote from Austin at the end of this video: “When given the opportunity, kids will blow you away.”
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