This story originally appeared in the Centre County Gazette.
STATE COLLEGE — Daniel Haverkos has never won a trophy at any of the charity events he’s created, but if there were awards for heart, grit and global generosity, he’d have shelves full of them.
This year, the State College resident is once again lacing up his golf shoes for what’s become a grueling and beloved tradition: the 180 Holes golf charity event, which is scheduled for Monday, June 23. It’s a full day of golf action, all for a cause.
Haverkos is among nine golfers who will be aiming to complete 10 rounds between 5:30 a.m. and 8:45 p.m. at Nittany Country Club in the event hosted by his beLove nonprofit organization.
The event, now in its 10th year, isn’t your average golf fundraiser. It’s 10 rounds of blistering, back-to-back golf, all of which is played with a deeper purpose. Proceeds for the event go directly to a cause that hits close to home for Haverkos, literally.
This year’s beneficiary is TLC Children’s Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is the same orphanage where Haverkos and his wife adopted their son Josiah in 2015.
The story behind the 180 Holes event stretches across oceans. Back in 2009, Haverkos and his wife set out on an 11-month, 11-country mission trip. The trip was their honeymoon, but instead of beaches and resorts, they chose to visit areas that were economically less fortunate to lend a helping hand.
Their journey took them to some of the most under-resourced areas in the world, including Kibera in Kenya, which is one of the largest urban slums in Africa. It was there they witnessed firsthand the power of human connection in places where people had little material wealth yet had deep connections of happiness and resilience.
“Just experiencing kind of this joy in people that didn’t have anything monetarily,” Haverkos reflected. “That like really shook us up from a foundation. Kind of like ‘What are we doing here with our lives’ endpoint.”
Unlike traditional charity tournaments with cocktail hours and auctions, the 180 Holes event is stripped down and relentless. Just nine golfers on average, where each participant plays 10 rounds in under 16 hours, rotating through the course. No practice swings. No lining up putts. Just swing, drive, chip and repeat.
“There certainly is some physical and mental prep going into it,” Haverkos said. “We do want people to be in a good physical condition going into it. We’re going to want to make sure we stay very hydrated throughout the day.”
While the physical aspect is a consideration, Haverkos said, once participants settle in for the day, their confidence on the course increases.
“They get into it and they start getting some scores and they realize, ‘Oh, I know these greens and I can make putts.’”
Over the years, the event has supported orphan care initiatives in Nicaragua, Mozambique and beyond. But 2025 marks a return to where it all began: the TLC Children’s Centre.
Founded in 1993, TLC Children’s Centre is a sanctuary for vulnerable children in South Africa. It was the first safe haven in the country to care for abandoned infants in a loving, family-style environment. But as global best practices evolve, so has TLC’s model. The days of large institutional orphanages are being replaced by cluster homes, which are smaller, house-based units led by dedicated caregivers called “house moms.”
While visiting TLC in March 2024, Daniel and his wife learned that TLC needed to build several of these new homes. The cost? $20,000 per house.
“My wife and I kind of looked at each other in that moment and it was very clear to both us,” Haverkos recalled, “We could build a house for these guys.”
This year’s golf challenge aims to do just that.
With the 180 Holes charity event, Haverkos keeps creating opportunities that blend athleticism, fun and service. “My sons love to say, ‘Dad, you keep creating these events and never win a belt or a trophy,’” he laughed.
While Haverkos may not have a belt or trophy to show off just yet, the impact of his efforts to assist orphaned children spans across continents.
“I think we as human beings and residents of America need to continue to expand kind of our awareness of other places in the world where in some sense, are not as well off as we are,” Haverkos stated when asked what he hopes to achieve for awareness from the event. “I think they are dramatically richer than we are from a relationship standpoint, from a family standpoint, and from a connection with each other standpoint.”
Want to get involved? Visit thecause.org/180golf to donate, learn more or follow this year’s golf journey. To support the work of TLC Children’s Centre, visit tlc.org.za.
