March 10, 2025 By Ollie Earley
Hi, my name is Ollie Earley. I am a 7th grade student at Boston College High School & a Hingham Little League catcher. Recently me and my mom were listing some of my old baseball gear on facebook marketplace, when we came across a little league team in Quincy. They said that their team was a bit less fortunate than your average baseball team and they had a few kids needing financial aid. My mom gave them a listed price, until she thought about it again. She then talked to me, and I recommended that she give it away for free.
Then, a lightbulb sparked in my head, I had an idea of having a baseball equipment drive, and asked my teammates. Tons of kids from my Hingham Little League summer travel team donated (shout out to Hingham White coached by Derek DeGrass). We collected about 20 bats, 15 gloves, and 10 bags and lots of cleats. I was so happy that we were gonna put a smile on these kids’ faces. But then, I had another idea, an idea like no other! I thought, “Wait, what if we started a non-profit, doing this full time?”
I immediately rushed to tell my mom, and she thought it was remarkable. We started to brainstorm names, and I came up with “Gear Up For Good”. Everything moved along so fast and many people seemed interested in our idea. After talking to people, we made a facebook page, so people can learn how to get involved. This is just the start of something great!
We hope you can help us towards our mission of making youth baseball players feel cool and included with their gear this season! Baseball gear is very expensive, trust me, I know from personal experience. I am always obsessed with having the newest gear, so I usually ask my grandma JoJo any time I have my eye on a new bat. I’m her favorite grandson, so she usually gets it for me! I also feel really strongly about community service and giving back, it is something that’s really important to my family and a big part of BC High is being a “man for others.”
If you would like to donate your gear or know a kid or an organization that needs gear, please email my assistant (who is also my mom!) Rory Earley – RWEARLEY@GMAIL.COM
