Kids Deserve A Place To Grow: Tony Hawk answers the call to action.

In his adolescent years, Tony Hawk considered the local skatepark his home away from home and skateboarding the sport that delivered him into a tight community, shaping his character and teaching him lessons in leadership, perseverance, and initiative.

Today, Tony's two greatest passions are children and skateboarding. In recent years skateboarding has grown to include more than 13-million participants in the United States, yet only about 2,500 skateparks are available for them to ride. Most skaters ride wherever they can-in the streets, in parking lots, and just about anywhere they aren't chased from. Community groups and civic leaders have identified skateparks as an answer to the lack of suitable places to ride. But most city officials have no idea how to properly develop a skatepark, or even where to start.

After receiving thousands of e-mails from parents and children across America who either did not have a safe, legal place to skate or were ostracized-and in some cases arrested-for skating on public property, Tony decided to establish a foundation whose mission would be to serve this population. He wanted to help them develop quality places to practice the sport that gives them much-needed exercise and a sense of self-esteem. So in 2002 he established the Tony Hawk Foundation, financed the organization with a personal gift, and assembled a board of directors that represents a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise.

Since its inception, the Tony Hawk Foundation has sought to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on serving underprivileged children. Through grants and other charitable donations, the foundation supports programs focused on the creation of public skateboard parks. The foundation favors projects that have strong community involvement, grassroots fundraising, and a base of support from the skaters, parents, law enforcement, and local leaders.

to read more about the Tony Hawk Foundation or to donate please go to TonyHawkFoundation

source tonyhawkfoundation.org