PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Playing sports can get expensive, especially when you have to pay for all the gear. But one high school student is finding a creative way to combine her favorite sport and giving back. Ella Axtell is a senior at The Benjamin School and founded "Gear for Goals."
WATCH: High school senior scores big by giving soccer gear to kids in need
"Gear for Goals is an organization that I go and take used and new soccer gear and equipment, and I take it to kids who are less fortunate," Axtell said.
Axtell donates the soccer gear to centers like Place of Hope, Family First and Quantum House.
"They come in there using their wheelchairs. We play soccer with them in any way that they are. We equip them and it's crazy, they love it so much. They always say how it's able to give them a place to play and give them an advantage to play," Axtell said.
She also hosts clinics to teach kids how to play.
"I love it. I honestly love it because I really do think every kid should have the chance to play and I don't want one kid not to be able to if they don't have the gear," Axtell said.
Gear for Goals is not only helping young athletes in Palm Beach County, but across the world.
"We've gone all over. I went to Costa Rica internationally with St. Mark's and I held four days in that week. I held soccer clinics and each kid got a full entire kit from shirts to cleats," Axtell said.
Axtell said when she came up with the idea for “Gear for Goals”, she started posting online.
“We have an Instagram called @Gear_for_goals, and I send out flyers and post all the time about it. And then I started reaching out to other places that I could have boxes at. So I had one at Palm Beach Gardens Rec Center,” Axtell said. “I actually was able to host a soccer drive for dressing for charity at St. Mark's, and we raised money, and got a bunch of money for that. And I just spread the word, have an Amazon wish list. I'm just emailing, emailing, emailing.”
Donations have flooded in, with people giving new and slightly used soccer gear or buying from her online equipment wishlist.
"I just want to continue it. I want to continue it through college. I want to keep going, see how big we can grow and hopefully one day we'll be so big that we'll have clinics all over the world," Axtell said.
While helping kids score goals, Axtell says her goal is to grow the organization. She says they're always looking for donations and volunteers. To donate or learn more, visit the @Gear_for_Goals Instagram page.
