Levi Gladstein Goes to Bat for St. Matthews Baseball With Annual Used Equipment Sale

Whatever your place in an athlete’s life – parent, grandparent, teammate or player – one thing remains the same. It can be expensive.

There are costs associated with athletics: enrollment, equipment, uniforms and more. Statistics show the average family pays around $1,000 per child per year for their primary sport, and travel teams can cost even more.

However, team sports are also known to have many positive benefits, including teaching life skills, social interactions, improving mental health and bringing communities closer together.

The St. Matthews Baseball program has watched the community come together in a unique way through a unique source in recent years.

Levi Gladstein, now a junior in high school, played in St. Matthews Baseball from the age of 4 until he aged out of the Majors at 12. Still, Levi’s mother, Heather, said he continued to grow within the program in other ways.

“He got his first job as a scorekeeper and then the commissioner of the league suggested he umpire, so he went through the official junior umpire program with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association,” Heather said.

Levi remembers the days when he fell in love with baseball and continues to be involved in every way possible.

“I think it was a mix of starting off playing with my friends, and my dad was the coach,” Levi said. “I loved the game. I loved playing and also watched the pros on TV. I’m still very much connected and just enjoyed everything about it so much.”

Three years ago Levi had an idea.

“At first I thought I’d like to do something for the community, but I wasn’t sure what to do,” he said. “St. Matthews has done so much for me, I started thinking about what I could do for them that would work. Everything is so expensive when you figure in the price of a baseball bat, gloves, cleats, etcetera. We have all this equipment that we don’t need or use anymore. I thought, ‘Let’s sell it at a reduced price.’ There’s a lot of people that could use that.”

Levi organized the first-ever Used Equipment Sale for the league, and will hold his fourth sale on March 2, in conjunction with the league’s tryout day. Funds raised benefit the league scholarship fund, and leftover equipment is donated to underprivileged leagues in and around Louisville.

As word has spread, people contact the Gladsteins or St. Matthews Baseball when they’re ready to part with old equipment. Levi arranges a pickup for the donation and on the day of the sale, tables are set up full of helmets, cleats, bats and more, for anyone to purchase what they need at a discounted cost.

“Nothing is more than $20,” Levi said. “I’ve heard people walk by and say they just bought this bat at the store for $150 and here it is for $15 or $20. I think people are really glad and appreciative of it.”

The first sale was extra special for Levi and cemented his desire to continue giving back to the sport he loves.

“There was a moment after I stopped playing baseball and I donated my helmet to the sale,” he said. “Halfway through the season I saw a kid wearing my helmet at a game and I was just really happy and super proud about that.”

Knowing that other young athletes are able to enjoy what he has for so many years has inspired Levi and his family to continue the sale. It’s safe to say his parents are proud too.

“He wasn’t told to volunteer,” Heather said. “This wasn’t part of a school program. The fact that he had compassion and a desire to do something to help the community made my husband and I very proud. He saw a need for something and created something that didn’t exist at the time.”

The project and event helped Levi not only feel great about helping young players, but also develop his own skills. Not many high school students have a handle on organization, communication, scheduling and more, as he works on the project year-round.

“Each year he has to find new resources and talk to new families,” Heather said. “We’re inspired by his perseverance and desire to keep doing it.”

Dan Cook has been the director of St. Matthews Baseball for one year and has served in other capacities in years prior. He’s known Levi since he was 7 or 8 and was impressed by the idea.

“When you’re buying this equipment, the kids are growing and you have to get cleats every year, sometimes twice per year,” Cook said. “It can be very expensive and it’s great for anyone who needs it or simply wants to save some money. Two or three times a year we have a family that needs a scholarship or is looking for affordable equipment just so their child can participate.”

Though Levi and his parents anticipate running the used equipment sale through his senior year, it’s likely that once he’s at college, he’ll naturally move on to other things. Cook has thought of other ways to continue the service and inspire other young people to carry on what Levi started.

“Levi has a younger brother in the eighth grade,” Cook said. “We’re hoping Judah takes up the torch, but there are a lot of schools in the area that require service hours for the kids. This would be a great way for them to give back to the community too.”

Today, Levi’s sport of choice is lacrosse. He’s making plans for the future, looking at colleges that provide a good education and positive sports culture for his major in sports management or sports business.

“I can’t say enough good things about Levi and his family,” Cook said. “He’s an extremely responsible young man and just really impressive. He’s going to have a bright future.”

If you have baseball equipment to donate, email stmatthewsbaseballleague@gmail.com, and Levi will schedule a pickup with you.

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