Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving surprises a GoFundMe account with a $45,000 donation

Cameron Mofid woke up Sunday morning with 45,000 reasons to be thankful.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving had just dropped $45,000 to a GoFundMe account Mofid created to raise money for a school in Nigeria and an orphanage in Ghana.

“I thought it was like a mistake or scam at first,” he said. “I was just confused because the email just said, ‘Kyrie.’ So, I didn’t really put it together.”

The Mavericks confirmed that Irving, who was traded to Dallas earlier this year, did indeed make the donation. Irving has donated over $500,000 to people’s GoFundMe accounts in the last several years, according to Nets Daily.

Mofid is still dumbfounded that Irving found his account. The 22-year-old Florida resident created the fundraiser after returning from a backpacking trip to the African nations. What he saw touched his heart. He wanted to give what he could..

Now, he has more than enough money. Irving’s largesse was nine times his original goal of $5,000. He said he knew of Irving as an NBA star, but now he is definitely a fan.

“I mean we’re 13 times over our goal now,” Mofid said. “It’s hard for me to believe it.”

Irving will have a classroom in Nigeria and sports complex in Ghana named after him, he said.

Florida man’s quest to be youngest to visit 195 countries

Mofid’s fundraiser for Nigeria and Ghana started with his quest to be the youngest man in the world to visit every country in the world.

Mofid was always interested in geography growing up, and travel was a way to cope with his anxiety. An avid tennis player, he competed in international tournaments sanctioned by the International Tennis Foundation’s junior tour for high school players.

His travels seemed to dovetail nicely with his heart to give. As he traversed the globe, he saw things that needed fixing. Shortly after graduating from high school he started a foundation called Legends United — a clearinghouse for donations from professional tennis players giving signed memorabilia. He distributed the money raised to charities he supports.

Then it dawned on him: Only a few people in the world have visited every country in the world. A 24-year-old man holds the record of being the youngest man to accomplish the feat. Mofid decided he would give the challenge a whirl.

So far, he has set foot in 119 countries — leaving 76 to go.

“It’s something that I love doing and I’m very passionate about,” he said.

Kyrie Irving’s donation to build school, orphanage and sports complex

With over $65,000 raised, Mofid said he has more than enough to accomplish his goals in west Africa.

Part of the money will go to The Part of Solution Nursery and Primary School in Makoko, a slum in Lagos, Nigeria. Mofid describes the Makoko as a slum built on stilts in a lagoon where 250,000 of the world’s poorest people live.

The school in Makoko has an enrollment of 351 students. Many can’t afford school supplies or uniforms. The school, which also serves as an orphanage, only has eight teachers.

Before Irving’s donation, Mofid’s fundraiser had raised enough money to buy school supplies and uniforms. But now, the students are getting even more.

“With [Irving’s] donation we’ll be able to get a water tank in the slum in Nigeria for all the kids to have clean drinking water,” Mofid said. “About half the kids at the school have never had the feeling of wearing shoes before, so we’ll have a bunch of shoes for all the kids.”

In Ghana, Mofid’s fundraiser will buy land for an orphanage, The United People Home, operated by the Love Foundation Club. Marcus Naazi runs the orphanage out of his makeshift wooden home, where 15 orphans currently live in two small rooms — with the kids sleeping on the floor.

They will now be able to build a building and a sports complex.

“We’re gonna build a basketball court which will also be named after Kyrie,” Mofid said.

Making sure Kyrie Irving’s money ‘does as much good as possible’

The outpouring of support — in the form of donations — has Mofid overwhelmed. More than 180 people have given money towards his cause.

He plans to go back to Ghana and Nigeria this summer to check on the progress of both projects. Money has already been sent to Nigeria and Ghana, he said.

He has attempted to contact the NBA star, primarily on social media, he said. But hasn’t heard anything back yet.

Mofid said he will repay Irving’s trust in him tenfold.

“I just really want to say thank you to him,” Mofid said. “I just want him to know that I’ll do everything that I can to make sure the money does as much good as possible.”