TAMPA, Fla. — A Bay Area high school student saw a need and decided to fill it. Abby Smith started an effort called Gear for Glory to get sports equipment to kids at a children’s home.
Abby’s mother, Suzanne, is a volunteer physical education teacher at Hope Children’s Home in Tampa, and when Smith learned that the girls’ volleyball team didn’t have all the equipment it needed, she decided to ask neighbors and friends to help. She has also received donations from her school.
On a recent morning, Abby and Suzanne were packing up a recent batch of donations to take to the home, including volleyballs that Abby was filling up with air using a hand pump. Suzanne showed off some of the shoes.
“Those are great. Those are new,” she said about some of the shoes. Others were gently used. “These came from a good family friend whose son outgrew these.”
“A lot of people just, like, donate,” said Abby, who attends Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater. “Like, we got these a lot from school friends, school families.”
People have also donated other sports gear, including tennis rackets. People also made lots of donations at a recent volleyball tournament in Orlando.
Abby and Suzanne took their latest batch of donations to the Hope Children’s Home, and some of the children helped carry them into a visitors’ center.
“It kind of just puts it all in perspective for me. Kind of shows that we are here for so much more than just to satisfy our own self,” said Abby. “We are here to serve others, and that’s what God calls us to do.”
“They are just a great group of kids, and I know they are so grateful for receiving the items and we are grateful for helping to facilitate the process of getting it to them,” Suzanne said.
“It encourages us to keep going, because, again, we are called to serve,” Abby said. “We are called to do what we are supposed to. It helps to see how they are using it and enjoying it.”