~ TONYHAW~ FOUNDATION ANNUALREPORT 2013 ....____ PAVING THE WAY TO HEALTHY COMMUNITIES MISSION STATEMENT The Tony Hawk Foundation seeks to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. Through special events, grants, and technical assistance, the Foundation supports recreationa l programs focusing on the creation of public 1:22 skateboard parks in low-income communities, The Tony Hawk and other causes in the U.S. and overseas. The Foundation favors programs that clearly Foundation's demonstrate that funds received will produce $5-million in tangible, ongoing, positive results. donations to 534 community skate­ Number Of Skate parks ReceivingTHF park projects since Technical Assistance: 2002 has helped 2.000 IN OVER leverage over 50 COUNTRIES $112-million in capital improvments for low-income communities across the U.S. Skate park Square Footage Built Per Day With 1080 Contributions From THF FROM THE FOUNDER More than ten years after establishing this foundation, and having helped THF Founder and fund over 500 skate parks, it's clear that we're in this for the long haul. President Tony Hawk The work is nowhere near being done. With only about 3,000 skate parks across the U.S, and another 9,0 00 needed to meet the current need, we'll be busy for decades to come! We knew when we started in 2002 that skate parks are a great outlet for youth who need a safe, sanctioned place to skate, and whom we should encourage to get outside, be active, and learn to push themselves. But what we've learned in recent years is just how transformative skate parks can be for entire communities. Tony tours the Power House neighborhood with project Co- Founder and artist Mitch Cope. When 1visited the Ride It Sculpture Park in Detroit, Michigan this summer, I looked forward to testing out the park's terrain. What I didn't expect was to see an entire neighborhood rising above the challenges the city has become so famous for. Once the industrial hub of the United States, Detroit's seen its economy collapse and its population shrink from a high of almost 2- million residents to now just over 700,000. Huge areas of the city are abandoned, and those residents brave enough to stay (or unable to "I LOVE THAT AFTER MORE THAN leave) are seeing their neighborhoods literally go up in flames. TEN YEARS OF HELPING BRING But some Detroiters are finding imaginative ways to save their communi­ ties and to rebuild what's fallen down. Nowhere is that more apparent SKATEPARKS TO KIDS ALL OVER than in the Power House neighborhood in north-central Detroit, where THE U.S .• I'M STILL LEARNING a group of skaters and artists have adopted abandoned homes, given MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT THEY some of them thematic makeovers, and on a cou pie of empty lots they've built a skatepark. CAN HAVE." exercise. As I've come to learn, they're also great places The Ride It Sculpture Park is just part of the Power House neighborhood's to build communities. Or in the case of Detroit, to re-build renaissance, but it's the most vital component. Old-time Detroiters, the a community. artists and skaters who've moved in, and immigrant families for whom everything is new all comet ogethe r atth e skatepark. Whether they come 1 love that after more than ten years of helping bring by to skate or just watch the local kids mix it up with the visitors, it's the skate parks to kids all over the U.S., I'm still learning more one part of the neighborhood that they all truly share. And they share it about the impact they can have.lt goes way beyond just with everyone. the kids. The positive effects of a well planned, robust and lively skatepark impact us all. So, as we work to bring Drop in to the Ride It Sculpture Park on any given day, and you'll see the benefits of skateboarding and skateparks to youth in Bangladeshi kids from the neighborhood, kids from across town, tourists challenged communities, we continue to learn and inte­ who've read about it and have come from all corners of the globe, the grate our new understanding into what we teach those Power House crew who helped build it, and occasionally even yours truly. advocates. There's a magic about skateparks that makes everyone welcome­ A skatepark can't return Detroit to what it once was, but it whetheryou're a beginner or pro, from the area or not. it's like a universal can be one part of its transformation into something new neutral space, where even non-skaters who want to check out the action and vibrant. And if it can do that for Detroit, imagine what (and maybe even cheer on the kids in the park) are encouraged to come in and get involved. They're great places for kids to really test themselves, askatepa~ cao do'" youccom1' learn to overcome challenges, get to know one-another, and get some dQ rfk _....... _____________ __ WHY SKATEPARKS? In his adolescent years, Tony Hawk considered the loca l skatepark his home away from home and skateboarding the sport that delivered him into a tight community, shaping his character and teach ing him lessons in leadership, perseverance, and taking initiative. Today, Tony's two greatest passions are chi ldren and skateboarding. In recent years skateboarding has grown to include over 6.3 mill ion participants, yet only about 3,000 skate parks are avai lable 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 • I • develop a skatepark, or even where to start. After receiving thousands of e mails from parents COMMUNITY GROUPS AND CIVIC LEADERS HAVE and chi ldren across America who either did not have a safe, legal place to skate or were ostracized from IDENTIFIED SKATEPARKS AS AN ANSWER TO THE their community and in some cases arrested for LACK OF SUITABLE PLACES TO RIDE. skating on pub lic property, Tony decided to estab lish 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 Founda tion, financed the organization with a persona l gift, and assemb led a Board of Directors that represents a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise. FULFILLING OUR MISSION Since 2002 the Tony Hawk Foundation has been fulfilling its mission to help young people by issuing grants to low income communities building qual ity pub lic skateparks, and providing guidance to city officials, parents, and children through the process. In the past twelve years the foundation has awarded over $5 mi ll ion to 534 public skatepark projects across the United States. To date, 443 Tony Hawk Foundation grant recipients have opened their skateparks, which receive an estimated 4 mi llion visits annua ll y. With the remaining 91 grant recipients scheduled to open their parks in the next twelve months, there will be an estimated 4.8 mill ion visits annually to skateparks that received financial aid and development guidance from the Tony Hawk Foundation. The Tony Hawk Foundation supports disadvantaged communities and at risk children. We are the only national grant making organization focused solely on the development and financing of free, quality public skateparks. THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THEIR We know that skateparks provide a safe and inspiring avenue for skaters to practice and excel at their sport, and that the process of developing their local skate park encourages and LOCAL SKATEPARK ENCOURAGES teaches young people how to make positive changes within their own communities. AND TEACHES YOUNG PEOPLE HOW The Tony Hawk Foundation works with municipalities and community groups to help them TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES WITH­ realize their dream of a quality public skatepark in their community. For Tony Hawk, skate IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. boarding was a healthy outlet and a recreational challenge, and it provided a social group of creative, like minded individuals. It was also a sport that helped him build confidence, taught him to persevere, and through his mentoring of younger skaters helped him develop leader ship skill s. The Tony Hawk Foundation works every day to be able to bring these same lessons to youth throughout the world. PROGRAMS The primary focus of the Tony Hawk Foundation is to help faci litate the development of free, high quality public skate parks in low income areas by providing information and guidance on the skatepark development process, and through financia l grants. While not all skatepark projects meet the grant criteria, the Tony Hawk Foundation strives to help com munities in other ways to achieve the best possib le skateparks parks that wi ll satisfy the needs of local skaters, provide them a safe, enjoyable place to ride, and promote healthy, active li festyles. THF also supports international programs that enhance the lives of youth through skateboarding. Below are some of the programs and services adm inistered by the Tony Hawk Foundation. Technical Assistance Tony Hawk Foundation staff fields an average of 400 e mai ls and phone calls each month. The following are some typica l issues THF addresses: • Getting a skate park project started • Lobbying loca l government • Liability insurance • Raising community awareness • Creating a nonprofit organization • Fundraising PUBLIC SKATEPARK DEVELOPMENT GUIDE • Applying for a grant This collaboration between the Tony Hawk Foundation, • Choosing a skate park designer and/or contractor the nonprofit Skaters For Public Skateparks, and the In­ ternational Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) Foundation staff can be reached bye mai l at is the definitive guide for skatepark advocates and city [email protected] or by calli ng (760) 477 2479.