On Sunday, Jan. 23, Amador had its second annual participation in the New Year New Gear drive.

“Honestly I just loved seeing all the families come and drop stuff off, people were so excited to donate their stuff and to see how much we had,” said Chief Operating Officer Kai Burgermeister (‘22).

The event was sponsored by Teohn Conner, who runs the EAT sports convention.

“EAT stands for Educate, Aspire, [and] Triumph. EAT Sports Foundation is focused on providing sports programming, mentorship, and relief to at-risk athletes and underprivileged families in underserved parts of our communities. Programs like these are important because it provides those that can’t, on their own, with opportunities they may have never gotten,” said Conner.

The Amador parking lot drop-off was manned by Amador athletes. Basketballs, soccer balls, and other equipment and clothing were dropped off and sorted on-site.

“The gear was loaded up into a uHaul and Teohn took it to go drop it off at his facility to later distribute to low-income kids across the bay,” said Burgermeister. 

Both Burgermeister and Conner became involved in New Year New Gear through past Foothill students.

“I got involved after Anirudh Murugesan and Jackson Cash reached out to me because they admired our mission and what we are doing in the community. They both spearheaded this whole drive. We are very lucky that they approached with such respect and admiration,” said Conner.

The positive impact of this drive goes beyond the communities it provides for. Participants find themselves to be just as touched.

“I’m elated to see the high school kids giving up their time and energy to support something bigger than them. I’m proud to see the people in the community come together and donate. I leave the drive with hope that, if we all can do a little, we can help a lot,” said Conner.

Amador was one of five high schools to host a drive. Foothill, Dublin, Dougherty Valley, and Monte Vista supported the cause as well.

“I think everyone that participated in the drive has been touched by sports in some way and being in the position of privilege that we are in given where we live, we collectively figured that everyone deserves to experience the joy of sports that we all knew. Programs like these help to give everyone equal opportunities and I think nothing is more important than that,” said Burgermeister.