Acho Donations Fund Hospital: Former NFL star backs Nigeria clinic; $100,000 helped build it

NFL player Sam Acho supported his family's medical mission in Nigeria by directing $100,000 in charitable funds toward building a permanent hospital. His parents, Dr. Sonny Acho and Christie Acho, began annual medical missions in 1989 through Living Hope Christian Ministries. Years later, Acho received two Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominations as a Chicago Bear in 2016 and 2017, donating each associated $50,000 award to the project.

The facility, named the Living Hope Medical Center, officially opened in June 2017 to provide year-round medical care to communities that previously relied solely on short visits by volunteer doctors. Additional funds were generated through wider fundraising efforts, including events involving supporters from the University of Texas and the football community.