MLB pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi have donated the mansion they were building in Missouri to a camp for special needs children after his trade to the Texas Rangers led them to buy a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The home is 32,000 square feet, although it remains unfinished, MLB.com reported. The couple had intended to sell the mansion earlier this year but have decided to donate it and the over 100 acres of land on which it sits to Camp Barnabas, a nonprofit organization that provides one-of-a-kind experiences to children with special needs or chronic illnesses and their siblings.
“There are tons of amazing charities in Southwest Missouri,” Cole Hamels said in a statement, the Star-Telegram reported. “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.”
Hamels and his wife started building the mansion when he was still pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Star-Telegram reported. The donation is the largest gift ever received by Barnabas.
Twitter praised Hamels for the act.
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