Mangalore: Heath Streak Foundation to be launched

Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 17 August 2011: Cricketers and their penchant for philanthropy is well known. It was a certain ’Beefy’ aka Ian Terence Botham who captivated the world’s imagination with his ’Hannibal Walk’ in 1988 raising funds for Leukaemia research. Cricketers since then including legends including former Australian captain Steve Waugh, and former Black Caps skipper Chris Cairns too followed suit. Latest to join the bandwagon is Zimbabwean Heath Streak.

 

 

Owning a thriving farm back home in Zimbabwe, Heath Streak is all set to launch the Heath Streak Foundation that will work specifically for the underprivileged children across India. The Foundation that was initially to be launched in October will now be launched in February 2012. The change in dates is on account of a packed international calendar that Zimbabwe national side has for the moment. Streak is currently Zimbabwe’s national coach.

 

Managing the Foundation is Mangalorean Jospeh Rego, whom Streak has appointed as the head. Incidentally, Joseph, a cricket agent for many, also heads the Chris Cairns Foundation, which was launched with much fanfare in India last year. Joseph told TOI that the Heath Streak Foundation will work to help the underprivileged children of all hues that dot the urban landscape. "Children are a big hit with Heath Streak," Joseph revealed.

 

Stating that Heath Streak will travel to the city in February next, when the Zimbabwean side gets a break from its national commitments to launch the Foundation, Joseph said a ’T-20 Cricket Carnival’ featuring leading names of Zimbabwe cricket such as Stuart Carlisle, Alistair Campbell, Grant Flower, Tatinda Taibu, Ray Price squaring off against ’Mangalore Indians’, selected by Dakshina Kannada Cricket Association too is on the cards.

 

Incidentally, Rego at the height of ICC World Cup 2011 had brought down Chris Cairns his motley crew of international first class cricketers who took on local talents for the Maruti Suzuki Chris Cairns T20 Cricket Cup earlier in February. It was on this occasion that Rego had mooted the idea of bringing the Zimbabwean cricket side over to this coastal city for a charity match. "This will now happen alongside the launch of the foundation," he said.