Juniors start sports charity to benefit low-income children

When junior Connor Buss was in seventh grade and played for San Jose’s Pacific Soccer Academy (PSA), one of the team’s most talented players revealed that he could not afford to go to tournaments and may have to quit soccer. PSA was able to pay for his friend’s fees, but his friend’s challenge made Buss realize that not everyone can afford what kids in communities like Saratoga take for granted.

“I remember thinking, ‘Why should this kid not be able to play sports due to his economic status?’” Buss said.

As a freshman two years ago, Buss suffered a concussion and was told that he would be unable to play contact sports for several years. Buss’s injury reminded him of his childhood teammate’s situation and motivated him to make a positive difference in the lives of underprivileged student athletes.

Buss, along with his friends juniors Romteen Masoumi, Jacob Randall and Albe Tremblay launched a nonprofit on April 22 called Gear It Up Foundation. Gear It Up works to provide free sports equipment to children who cannot afford it otherwise.

Buss, Masoumi, Randall and Tremblay decided to work on Gear It Up because of their passion for athletics; all four play sports, and Tremblay also coaches basketball.

The four juniors hope to raise $10,000 this month and use the money to buy gear for a San Jose elementary school. As of May 13, they have raised $1,100 through their Go Fund Me page.

They are also working on finding charities and companies to sponsor them. So far, Gear It Up has partnered with organizations such as the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI) in its effort to find schools, clubs and community centers that need sports equipment.

While only active for under a month, Gear It Up has already garnered a strong following. Friends, teachers and even strangers have donated, supporting the organization in its mission to help children participate in sports. The juniors maintain a Gear It Up Facebook page, which has about 150 likes, and an official website. The San Jose Mercury News also featured Gear It Up on April 29.

While Gear It Up is enjoying publicity now, starting the foundation was a challenge that the juniors overcame with the support of their friends and family. When Buss first thought of the idea to create the Gear It Up, he received help from his mom, Debbie Buss, who is currently starting her own charity as well. To transform Gear It Up into an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which exempts it from federal taxes, Buss worked for four months on paperwork.

Tremblay, Gear It Up’s Chief Marketing Officer, also received support from Robert Zylstra, a business consultant who has started multiple foundations and has used his experience to help coordinate Gear It Up’s website and social media outlets. Scott and Joanie Kriens, directors of the 1440 Foundation, which supports programs that foster healthy connections, also inspired Tremblay and his friends.

“I think it’s really cool to say that at 16 or 17, [we’re] able to make a difference within the community,” Tremblay said.

The juniors see building up their foundation’s credibility as their major obstacle and plan to overcome it through making their processes as transparent as possible. Aware of their status as minors, they are working to clearly communicate with their donors and partners of how they spend their money to further their mission.

They are also learning about how to manage money in a non-profit. According to Randall, the juniors planned to only take and donate sports equipment but realized that “when you get size ten shoes, you can’t give it to a kid.” By raising money, the juniors have more flexibility in choosing and providing proper sports equipment.

“In a charity, there’s no return on investment. We don’t want to go ‘OK, we have $1,200, let’s drain all that money, do a donation’ and then think about how to raise that money back up,” Randall said. “We have to be careful about finding the right target, the right donor, the right merchandise and gearing all that in a cycle that is efficient and helps people.”

While Gear It Up is currently in its early stages, the juniors hope to grow their non-profit out into a county-wide and perhaps nationwide organization. They may also branch out into the used-equipment field. As they grow bigger, they will need more volunteers to help out with their organization.

Despite the challenges of junior year, the four friends have made time for Gear It Up. In addition to working individually, they meet every Wednesday to collaborate on Gear It Up. Their organization is “always a topic of conversation” when the four are together, and even when they are apart, they have a group text that they constantly chat in. All four are also in the MAP program; during their classes, they often discuss the foundation.

“Even when there’s a Saturday when I’m hanging out with [Buss], we’ll be playing basketball outside and we’ll talk about Gear It Up,” Randall said. “It’s a constant force in our lives right now because we want to grow it as fast as possible.”

While they will most likely head off to different colleges, the juniors plan on staying connected and working on Gear It Up. They want to continue helping underprivileged children throughout their lives.

“A lot of the children that we are donating to do not live in the best communities. They could have rough home lives,” Masoumi said. “[By] providing sports equipment, we can give them an escape to all that, and they can find a passion for something.”

 

*To learn more about Gear It Up Foundation, go to

http://www.gearitup.org/

*To donate to Gear It Up Foundation, go to www.gofundme.com/gearitupfoundation