Sophomore collects sports equipment for kids in need

April 12, 2023

As part of the Upper St. Clair High School Middle Years Program, students are required to complete a final project aiming to better our world at the end of the program. For sophomore Peyton McGregor, she chose to dedicate her project to collecting sports equipment for underprivileged children across the globe.

With research, Peyton came across the organization, Uncommon Sports Group. USG alongside another organization, Clean Out For A Cause, work together to collect and deliver used sports equipment to kids who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

After discovering what USG is all about, Peyton could not wait to contribute. When asked about why she chose this topic for her project, Peyton replied, “I grew up playing sports and sports continue to be a big part of my life and I wanted less fortunate kids to be able to experience this same joy.”

With that, Peyton quickly got to work on a flier promoting her sports drive that was posted on social media as well as the high school bulletin board.

 

The drive was hosted for two days from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. For eight hours, Peyton stood outside the high school with a collection box as community members drove by with donations. It was not long before this simple box became piles and piles of sports equipment.

By the end of the drive, Peyton had collected everything from uniforms, socks, shoes, sports bags and gloves, to balls, cones, skates, golf clubs, basketball bats, lacrosse and hockey sticks.

Peyton’s mom, Michelle McGregor, who assisted with transporting this equipment back to their house for storage says, “We had to pack three cars in order to fit all of it!”

Once the equipment was transported to the McGregor home, Peyton spent three hours sorting and packaging all of the equipment. After it was packaged, Clean Out For A Cause came to pick up the boxes, sending them on their way to sports-eager children all over the world.

Now that the equipment has been sent out and on its way to improve the lives of many underprivileged kids, Peyton is beyond excited about the lasting impact she has made.

She also notes the satisfaction she has received knowing that she met her initial goal for the project. Peyton knew she wanted to give back to the sports community and mentions, “I understand there are many areas of the world where playing sports isn’t an option for kids and I wanted to do something to fix this.” 

 

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Article and photos by USCHS senior Reagan McGregor

Reagan McGregor, a senior at Upper St. Clair High School, is currently completing a community-based learning experience in communications. She is a varsity cheerleader, a member of the high school’s Ski Club and a member of National Honor Society. Reagan plans to major in communications/journalism in college.