Encinitas teen starts nonprofit to donate sports equipment

When the pandemic hit a year ago and the lockdown ensued, some folks hoarded things. But Marco Alvarez, 16, was set on helping others get the very things that he valued most.

For Marco, that meant giving basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls and footballs along with other sports equipment to kids who wouldn’t otherwise get to play sports.

Marco started the nonprofit Free Throwz last May and has given out six dozen sports balls to local groups, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, and is getting ready to donate more equipment this month to two additional organizations.

“He has played sports his whole life and realized that some kids may not have the same opportunities that he had. So, he started Free Throwz, a nonprofit, with his own money,” said Rhonda Guaderrama, director of development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside, which received a donation of 20 new balls from Free Throwz.

Marco Alvarez, left brings a donation of sports balls to Boys and Girls Clubs of Oceanside’s CEO Jodi Diamond, right.

He got the idea when he was at home under the state’s shutdown orders and all his basketball and volleyball games were canceled.

“During COVID-19, I became more aware of how lucky I’ve been to play sports and still be able to practice and play my favorite sports while at home sheltering,” said Marco, a junior at San Dieguito Academy and founder and director of Free Throwz.

He could still pull out his basketball and dribble down the driveway. But he realized not everyone has money to get a ball or other sports gear and he wanted to do something about that.

“I started to raise money to buy equipment for underprivileged kids so that they could feel the same joy that I feel when I play sports, and so that they could learn new skills,” he said.

For Marco playing sports is more than the game. He talks about building trust with teammates and coaches, and learning how to practice good sportsmanship, dealing with victory and defeat.

“Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned in life so far, I’ve learned while practicing and playing sports,” he said.

Marco started playing basketball when he was 5 and has since played on recreational, competitive and school teams. He also plays indoor and beach volleyball for his school.
He helped coach his younger sister’s basketball teams and assisted at sports camps along with his old basketball club’s L’il Cats program for junior players.

Marco Alvarez, an avid sportsman, started a nonprofit to get basketballs and other sports balls and gear to kids who don’t have access to sports equipment.

“Growing up, I always had access to the right equipment. Not everyone is so lucky. Free Throwz is working to help change this problem, with our tagline as my goal — ‘Because Everyone Deserves to Have a Ball.’”

Marco’s goal is to provide sporting equipment as well as teach and mentor. But that has been difficult during the pandemic.

“The most challenging part of all of this was finding out how to do all of this during a pandemic when I cannot meet with groups of people at events and be with groups of kids in school settings,” Marco said.

So far he’s done fundraising through social media drives and used the Free Throwz website and blog along with Instagram.

“I didn’t realize how much work it would be finding the right groups to donate to,” Marco said. He sent out a lot of emails and calls and kept trying to make contact with groups until he found the ones where he felt kids really could benefit most from the gear.

Marco is working with five local nonprofits around San Diego County, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside, Vista and San Dieguito along with the Karen Organization of San Diego
and California Bearcats, where he donated balls to players in their developmental program who came to the U.S. from Africa and are learning how to play basketball.

“Our youth can’t share equipment anymore because of COVID, so we need more of everything,” Guaderrama said. Marco dropped off the donation of balls during the club’s summer camp.
“Marco truly has the heart of a philanthropist,” Guaderrama said.

Marco refers to his nonprofit as a team and is appreciative to his family and friends for supporting his efforts and giving him feedback when he bounced ideas off of them.

“Marco has always had a big heart and showed empathy at a young age. Since he was little, he always gave — whether it was giving money or meals to homeless people, donating to clothing drives, or donating his time to a cause,” said Marco’s mother, Gabriella Lengua. “One time, he wanted to give a pair of basketball shoes to his teammate because he noticed the teammate was wearing a pretty beat-up pair.”

Marco’s long-term goal is to be able to work on a national and global scale.

“The best part about starting Free Throwz is that I really feel like I am making a difference in the lives of kids,” Marco said.

Visit freethrowz.org.