Last year, 13-year-old Austin Gutwein's cause raised $85,000 to help World Vision build a school in AIDS-ravaged Zambia.

By Janet Root, Web Writer/Editor

" … I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.'" — Jeremiah 1:6-7 (NIV)

Like the youthful prophet Jeremiah, Austin Gutwein could have told God at age 10 that he was too young to speak out. But when he saw a World Vision video about children who had lost their parents to AIDS, he had a different response.

"These kids weren't any different from me, except they were suffering," says Austin, now 13 and living in Mesa, Ariz. "I felt God calling me to do something to help them. I really like to tell kids my age and younger that you don't have to wait till you're an adult to do something."

Hoops of Hope Nets Results

Austin decided he would do what he loved — shoot free throws. But this time, he would shoot them for the children he was passionate to help. He specifically recalls World AIDS Day in 2004, when he put his idea into action. "People sponsored me, and I raised about $3,000," says the lanky redhead. "We sent World Vision to help eight children orphaned by AIDS."

In the past three years, thousands of people have joined Austin in what he describes as "our basketball shoot-a-thon called Hoops of Hope. It's basically like a walk-a-thon — really a hoop-a-thon — but more fun." Last year, the charity raised $85,000 to help World Vision build the Johnathan Sim Legacy School in AIDS-ravaged Twachiyanda, Zambia.

Austin was able to attend the school's dedication in October. "When we walked into the village, it was amazing to see how many people were there to meet us, to feel their hands, to finally see and meet them."

Zambia School Project

So what inspired Hoops of Hope to take on the school project in Zambia? Austin explains how the idea came to fruition.

"We had been raising money and giving to [World Vision] child sponsorship the first few years. I told my dad I'd really like to do an actual project. He called World Vision, and we were told that Kelly Sim had lost her husband [Johnathan], who had worked at World Vision. She wanted to build a school in his honor, but she needed someone to help. So that's what we decided to do."

It really was a no-brainer for the young basketball enthusiast — especially after he learned that many children in Twachiyanda had been forced to walk more than six miles to attend school. "It is just too far for 7- and 8-year-old kids to walk, and it keeps many of them from attending school, especially the younger ones," he says.

Now, because of hundreds of Hoops of Hope participant efforts, 430 students between the ages of 7 and 16 have educational opportunities that will help them fulfill their God-given potential — just as Austin is growing into his.

'You Can Make a Difference'

"The children left behind by AIDS now have access to food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and finally a school," Austin proudly proclaims. "This year, our goal is to raise $150,000 to build a medical lab in Sinazongwe, Zambia."

By doing something as simple as shooting free throws, Hoops of Hope participants have raised a total of $120,000 during the past several years. But if you think Austin feels pretty special about this remarkable feat, think again.

"I don't consider my work with Hoops of Hope amazing," he says. "It's God just needing someone to be used. If you do just the littlest, littlest thing, you can make a difference."

Hundreds of children in Zambia must wholeheartedly agree.