As 15-year-old Tyler Gage sees it, people can always do one more thing to help those in the community.

1-More Foundation, a nonprofit he started in September, was created to do just that. Gage explained it doesn’t have a specific group or issue it addresses.

“(It’s) to help those in need when the unexpected presents itself,” he wrote in an email interview. The foundation recently held a Socks from Santa drive to raise warm clothes for residents in the area.According to Gage, he collected 145 pairs of socks, gloves and hats, which will be delivered to people this weekend.

The “1-More” in the name, he said, refers to the foundation’s philosophy of paying it forward, that a lot can be accomplished through the efforts of many.

“Everyone can do just 1-More thing, help 1-More person or donate 1-More time,” he wrote. “If those around us in our small groups all acted and shared with 1-More, the cause could double this can continue exponentially.”

A ninth grader at Tahoma Junior High, Gage is also involved in several other volunteer programs and philanthropic organizations, such the Special Olympics and the Maple Valley Food Bank. He first started out doing community service when he was in elementary school through Cub Scouts.

“When I can, I give back to the community,” he wrote.

Gage was also involved in Boy Scouts and earned his Eagle Scout rank at 13 through Troop 594, which is a scout run troop.

For his Eagle Project, he and the Troop built a 100 foot walkway and path out of wood and gravel along Shadow Lake, as well as a bench.

Efforts to get others his age to volunteer through the foundation, Gage said, has been mostly successful.

“Friends and adults have willingly donated their time,” he said. “The more the merrier. We are still looking for volunteers.”

As to whether or not he sees this as a future career, Gage wrote, “I’m young and I have a lot of time to decide these things, but I sure hope so.I intend to keep helping the less fortunate, and those in need, either personally or as an advocate- those in need will have a voice.”

For more information about the Foundation, go to 1-More’s website at www.1-more.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/1moreorg. It can also be flowed on Twitter @1moreorg.