Gavin Mestler '23 Uses His Gifts to Change the World | News

November 3rd 2022

Dons use their gifts to change the world! Gavin Mestler '23 is one example of our Dons doing good out in the local community. During the summer of 2020, Gavin founded Ludus Pursuit, a 501(c)3 non-profit that identifies children who lack resources to play sports and provides them with sports equipment and funds for registration, clinics, teams, clubs and coaching. Since its establishment, Gavin has devoted his time to creating relationships with partners/brands to receive discounts on or receive free sports equipment for these children. Gavin maintains relationships with these groups and with other donors and reaches new audiences through email campaigns. He has built a website, Instagram and LinkedIn page for Ludus Pursuit, manages the bookkeeping, files tax returns, and is working on putting together a board of directors. Gavin has involved our Dons community by involving our students as ambassadors to engage in giving and mentorship. One such ambassador includes Tiago Melamed '23 (pictured), who volunteered with Gavin to help donate brand-new skateboards and helmets to young boys from City Heights, CA. They also took them to the pump track (a few minutes from Cathedral Catholic) and taught them the fundamentals of skateboarding as well as a few tricks. On this special day, Gavin and Tiago were able to share their love of skateboarding with a few deserving kids and give them the opportunity to develop a newfound passion. Check out a video of their special day here.

Gavin credits Cathedral Catholic with inspiring his mission. He shares, "Cathedral Catholic fosters an environment that encourages faith in action and service to the community. In Catholic Faith class, we learn about the seven themes of Catholic social teaching which call us to build a just society and live lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society." The theme “Rights and Responsibilities” is the theme that stood out to Gavin and became a foundation of his nonprofit’s mission. The theme states that every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency and that every person has a responsibility to each other, to their families and to society at large. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Paul says that “God’s gifts are given to be shared.” Gavin uses his gifts by helping under-resourced kids play sports without limitations.