“Growing up, we were fortunate enough to have our sports expenses covered—everything from equipment to uniforms. But not every kid has that kind of support,” says Sohum Wadhwani. “Our goal is simple: to make sure every child has the chance to excel in the sport they love by providing them with the right equipment and financial backing.” This goal was what propelled the Mission San Jose high school student to create SkillSprout.
SkillSprout is a student-run nonprofit that aims to remove the financial barrier from youth sports by collecting sports equipment and distributing it to local and national partner beneficiaries. It was formed in 2024 as a response to being unable to find a local organization that could collect sports equipment.
As founder and president, Wadhwani leads a team of eight student athletes who share his vision, and together they manage partnerships with the beneficiaries. Partnerships have been made with other education-focused nonprofits like First Tee Tri-Valley, Turn Two For Youth, Soccer Without Borders and Impact Academy of Arts & Technology.
Wadhwani shared, “As we continue to expand, we’re actively seeking new beneficiary partnerships in other major sports like tennis to further our mission of making athletics accessible to all. We are also actively working with corporations to fund our raffles for equipment drives, and are looking into receiving equipment from professional sports teams.”
Most of their interactions take place on their website: skill-sprout.org, where they accept donations and handle applications to receive sports equipment. When equipment is collected, each of SkillSprout’s team leaders takes charge of a specific sport and reaches out to the beneficiaries who requested gear.
Their two vice presidents, Aaditya Badia and Adit Saxena, are both on Mission San Jose High’s state-ranked varsity badminton team so they handle badminton equipment, and secretary Roshan Markar personally collects unused baseball equipment from his teammates. They share whatever stock they have and coordinate drop-offs whenever needed.
Since their inception in 2024, about $400 dollars in cash and over $4,000 in equipment have been collected, supporting over 50 athletes as a result. Their biggest success was donating $1,200 in golf equipment to a local golf nonprofit, providing clubs for free lessons. According to Wadhwani, SkillSprout is about to take part in a summer sports drive, where the team hopes to donate over 350 pieces of equipment.
“I’ve personally seen many talented athletes who couldn’t play certain sports because their families couldn’t afford the gear,” Wadhwani says. “Sports teach so much, from leadership to teamwork, and we believe that no child should miss them due to financial barriers. One piece of equipment can go a long way!”To find contact forms to offer donations or apply to receive them, visit website skillsprout.org.
