New Trier High School sophomores Thomas Martay and Hudson Manhoff grew up playing flag football and, over the years, accumulated plenty of jerseys. Wondering what happened to all that outgrown gear, they saw an opportunity to give it a second life.
In May 2026, Thomas and Hudson began collecting used jerseys from the NorthShore Trevians Flag Football Program. They gathered more than 1000 jerseys that otherwise might have ended up in landfills, then sorted, cleaned and organized them into matching team sets for young kids in communities where uniforms are not readily available.
As flag football referees, Thomas and Hudson have seen firsthand how much fun, confidence, and connection the game can bring kids. Their goal was simple: keep usable jerseys out of the waste stream while giving more children the opportunity to experience the excitement of putting on a uniform and feeling part of a team.
The effort has grown with support from Zengeler Cleaners, Winnetka Boy Scout Troop 20 and its Future Builder Scouts partner in Ghana, as well as a community center in the Philippines. Thomas and Hudson are also exploring additional partnerships, continuing to expand the reach and impact of jerseys that still have plenty of life left in them.
Their efforts have already made an impact halfway around the world.
Recently, approximately 560 jerseys, representing about 280 pounds of fabric, arrived in Ghana and were distributed to children in the community. Seeing photos of the kids wearing the jerseys brought the project full circle and offered a tangible reminder of just how far a simple local idea can travel.
And the work isn’t finished.
Several hundred additional jerseys are still being sorted and prepared for another shipment, this time destined for the Philippines.
Thomas and Hudson’s initiative is a great example of the power of reuse. Recycling is important but extending the useful life of something we already have can be even better: it keeps materials out of the waste stream while putting an existing resource directly into the hands of someone who can use it.
Perhaps the best part of their story is how easily the idea could be replicated. Youth sports organizations throughout our community cycle through enormous quantities of uniforms and equipment each year. With a little planning and initiative, those items don’t have to be discarded when a player outgrows them or a season ends.
An old jersey doesn’t have to mark the end of a season. Sometimes, it can be the beginning of an entirely new one, halfway around the world.
For more information or if you would like to get involved in jersey collection, please contact Megan Butler at mbutler44@gmail.com