Kicking goals at North Geelong with kind donations

A LOCAL family and football club based out of North Geelong has again conducted a generous donations drive, receiving plenty of soccer gear from footballing families to go to the less fortunate.

Katie Ramage and her family helped get the initiative off the ground three years ago, but this year Ms Ramage attempted to replicate the idea again.

“Originally, back in 2018 it was my son Banjo who sewed the seed to start a collection,” Ms Ramage said.

“He is aware how incredibly lucky we all are to have access to wonderful soccer training and all that goes with it. Not every kid sadly is.”

Ms Ramage stumbled across the Reagan Milstein Foundation (RMF) when she was looking for a suitable donor.

When she read the story about why the RMF was set up, it really struck a chord with her as a mother of three children, two of whom also love their football.

The charity, named after Reagan Milstein, who was a healthy 14-year-old boy that passed away unexpectedly, collects pre-loved and unused sports gear and delivers it to less fortunate communities.

Ms Ramage, with the help of numerous coaches from around the club, put out a call for donations through the Team App communications platform and the North Geelong Warriors Facebook page.

The app allowed the message to reach the club’s junior and senior National Premier League (NPL) sides, the rest of the Warriors’ community and the Melbourne Knights Football Club, who have also donated dozens of kits from their football families.

Some good timing also played a big role in the large number of contributions made.

“We asked for donations to be dropped at the club rooms during one of our busy home fixtures on Sunday, July 11, as families grabbed coffees and delicious cevapi from our club canteen,” Ms Ramage said.

“They [then] off loaded their outgrown boots and soccer kit for this really great cause! We had piles of soccer gear by the time the final whistle of the day blew.”

The North Geelong parent also noted how supportive the club has been with the drive.

“Nothing is ever a problem when I’ve asked for help. They really are a wonderful club to be affiliated to,” she said.

Ms Ramage is not certain how much gear has been collected exactly, however, judging by the amount of stuff she has in her driveway, it is a lot.

For more information on the Reagan Milstein Foundation head to rmf.world and see what their charity is all about.