COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Compassion International’s Fill the Stadium is still celebrating their impressive success—in less than two years, Fill the Stadium surpassed their goal to raise $35 million and provide lifesaving aid to 70,000 children who have been affected by the pandemic. Today, over 76,000 registered children in the Compassion program have received food, supplies, and other necessary items.
This extraordinary effort was headed by Compassion CEO and President Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado and Steve Stenstrom, president of Pro Athletes Outreach, along with many notable professional athletes. Professional PGA golfer Sam Burns is proud to support Fill the Stadium and joins the rest of the pro-athlete team in celebrating the success of the initiative.
“Since the start of the pandemic, everyone has experienced some type of adverse change in their lives,” stated Burns. “The children who receive help through Fill the Stadium experienced circumstances that were devastating, yet through this initiative, those negative circumstances are starting to reverse. This effort truly makes a difference in the lives of these children. My wife, Caroline, and I are so thankful for the opportunity to support this critical need and serve God well.”
Mellado commented, “Now that the goal for this initiative has been met, my prayer is that the resourced world won’t move on too quickly and forget about the rest of their under-resourced brothers and sisters who desperately need their assistance. They continue to need our support both financially and spiritually.”
Joining Burns in co-leadership roles for Fill the Stadium efforts are such standout professional athletes as Carson Palmer, former NFL quarterback; Chris Davis, former Baltimore Oriole first baseman, Nate Solder, New York Giants offensive tackle; Case Keenum, Cleveland Browns quarterback; Nick Foles, professional football MVP quarterback; Adam Engel of the Chicago White Sox; Alyssa Naeher, a member of the U.S. Olympic and World Cup Women’s Soccer Team; Nick Ahmed of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Jordy Nelson, former professional wide receiver; Devin and Jason McCourty, NFL defensive backs; Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes; Brock Huard, FOX sports broadcaster and former professional quarterback; and many others.
To learn more about Fill the Stadium, visit their website, as well as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Founded in 1952, Compassion partners with more than 8,000 local churches in 25 program countries to deliver spiritual, economic, social, and physical care to over two million babies, children, and young adults in poverty. Ranked No. 8 in Forbes’ America’s Top Charities List in 2020, Compassion is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit compassion.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
