Kleats For Kids founder and Newtown High School senior Marc Maurath is passing the torch to keep a great tradition going. It will continue with Owen and Noah Blair following in his foot (cleat) steps. Maurath will help with the transition this spring.

There will be collection bins at the Glander Field Complex for the Newtown Baseball Fan Fest Saturday, April 26 from 3 to 7 pm, at Treadwell Park for the Rooster Rumble Lacrosse Tournament Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18 during both days, and throughout town for the Newtown Soccer Club’s Memorial Day Weekend Tournament. Collections will take place from approximately 9 am to 3 pm. Additionally, Kleats For Kids donation bins are at NYA Sports & Fitness throughout the season.

Maurath got Kleats For Kids going during his freshman year with the mission to collect and redistribute gently used sports cleats to under-resourced youth groups, community programs and schools. He developed connections with local youth sports programs and indoor sports facilities to organize collection events at practices, games & tournaments and established a distribution partnership with the nonprofit Leveling the Playing Field, Inc in Baltimore, Md.

“This has been a very rewarding experience and I am very grateful for all the help from my family, friends and our town’s youth sports community. During one of our deliveries to Leveling the Playing Field’s distribution center in Baltimore, I heard that several youth sports programs were waiting on our cleats for their players and it struck me that I was actually making a real difference. It is hard to put into words how meaningful it was to hear the program director telling local teams not to worry, ‘Kleats For Kids is coming soon,’ Maurath said. “This project has taught me that the simplest efforts can make a real positive impact. I could not be happier that Owen and Noah are going to continue the program — I appreciate their commitment to help others. They have some really great ideas to make the program even better.”

The program has collected, matched, cleaned and delivered nearly 1,200 pairs of football, soccer, softball, baseball, and lacrosse cleats for youth athletes across the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Owen and Noah Blair have grown up playing football, baseball, and wrestling from a young age in Newtown.

“My brother Noah and I have known Marc from our youth wrestling days and always looked up to him as a leader and role model. We were always happy to donate our old cleats when he came to our football practices. It seems really cool to contribute, even in a small way, to another kid’s love for sports. My brother and I are excited to take on the challenge. We’re honored to carry on Marc’s legacy and give an underserved kid a chance to experience the joy of sports, just like every kid deserves,” said Owen, a freshman at NHS.

“Sports have shaped us in countless ways, and I can’t imagine a world without them,” added Noah, an eighth grader. “This program has a huge impact on kids who want to play sports but don’t have the resources. We’re determined to make a real difference, just like Marc has.”

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.