Hometown Hero: Max Gordon of Port Jefferson
Max Gordon Credit: Port Jefferson School District
Max Gordon is spreading his love of sports to local children who can’t afford the equipment needed to play them.
The eighth-grader at Port Jefferson Middle School said he has accumulated hundreds of gently used athletic items since September by placing donation boxes in his school district’s buildings as well as in several locations throughout the community, including the Port Jefferson Free Library.
The donated items — which range from lacrosse sticks to ice skates — went to a nonprofit organization called Game Changers New York, which strives to empower disadvantaged youth around the world by providing equipment so they can play various sports. The nonprofit has been distributing the items collected by Gordon to local agencies such as Southampton Youth Services, he said.
“I’m very into sports, and I just really wanted to give back to my community,” Max, 13, said. “I’m very amazed and thankful to all of the people that took their time to scour through their garages and basements to donate to us.”
Max said he decided to start gathering sports equipment after reading about Game Changers and its quest to help children locally and globally. He then received approval to set up donation boxes from middle school principal Brian Walker and his district’s athletic director, Adam Sherrard.
Next, he said he informed the school’s sport teams about his efforts and encouraged them to contribute to the collection, which is expected to continue through the end of the school year. Upon receiving items, Max said he brings them home and sorts them by sport to prepare them for distribution.
“Max is a standout student and an exemplary role model for his classmates,” Walker said. “Max reaches beyond our school’s traditional character traits of exceptional behavior, honesty, respect, integrity, self-control, responsibility and excellence. This initiative highlights his true spirit of being a considerate and kind-hearted person.”
In school, Max plays the saxophone and is a member of the Mathletes team, Student Council and National Junior Honor Society. He is also a member of the school’s basketball, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling teams.
“I’m so lucky to be on so many sports teams,” Max said, “and I want to give back to the world to help other kids who have hidden talents to pursue them.”
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
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