When Crescenta Valley High School junior Jack Breckow needed a project to advance his Scouting career towards the rank of Eagle, he looked no further than his own history.

“Baseball’s been part of my life since I was 5, playing in Crescenta Valley Little League up to my sophomore year at CVHS,” said Breckow, who is currently senior patrol leader in Boy Scout Troop 319. “It seemed natural to do an Eagle Scout project that could help others play this great sport.”

Through his former English teacher, Patricia Deitch, Breckow connected with Roberto’s Kids, a nonprofit that supports the legacy of former professional baseball player Roberto Clemente by distributing used baseball equipment to disadvantaged youth around the world.

For his project, Breckow drew on the geographic reach of Little League District 16. In December, District Administrator Scott Moro invited him to outline the effort to the local league presidents to enlist support. The gathering started in January with Breckow and his family collecting equipment from five area leagues – Crescenta Valley, Tujunga, Burbank, Jewel City-JWV and Foothill.

“The generosity of our local little leagues was overwhelming,” Breckow said. “Our garage was filled with gear, as was the CV Little League storage shed. We ran out of room to store stuff!”

On Feb. 4, Breckow gathered more than 25 volunteers to sort, clean and package the used equipment for transport to the Roberto’s Kids drop-off center. In total, the project collected 437 jerseys, 237 pairs of baseball pants, 214 bats, 103 T-shirts, 100 helmets, 77 gloves, 53 sweatshirts, 48 pairs of cleats, 40 hats, 36 chest protectors, 34 sets of shin guards, 10 catchers’ helmets, 23 pairs of socks, 19 pairs of batting gloves, 17 bat bags, 15 belts, seven buckets of baseballs (courtesy of Dick’s Sporting Goods) and seven scorebooks. Local baseball glove specialist Norm Baun donated time re-stringing gloves while Andy’s Transfer and Storage donated boxes and moving supplies.

Clemente, a 15-time all-star in the major leagues while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was heavily involved in charity work in Latin America and the Caribbean during his off-seasons. He died in a plane crash in 1972 while on a relief mission to Nicaragua following a massive earthquake in the country. The organization Roberto’s Kids was founded to continue his legacy in supporting youth development through baseball.

“Jack’s project was a perfect fit for us, as our mission is social responsibility through baseball,” said Steve Pindar, Roberto’s Kids founder and president. “Without selfless volunteers like him, simply put, we couldn’t assist deserving children all over the world with equipment.”