ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Monte Vista, Colorado “We couldn’t have done it without the Tony Hawk Foundation, their support and professionalism. THF was a lifeline—I didn’t know anything about this before I started. But with a little help, anything is possible.” —Mary Pitcher, Carnegie, Pennsylvania Kapaau, Hawaii Watts, California St. Cloud, Minnesota 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 recreational programs focusing on the creation of public skateboard parks in low-income communities, and other causes in the U.S. and overseas. The Foundation favors programs that clearly demonstrate that funds received Imperial Beach, California will produce tangible, ongoing, positive results. FROM THE FOUNDER Going Global In our first decade, the Tony Hawk Foundation helped create free public skateparks in all 50 States so youth (and us adults!) could enjoy the many benefits of skateboarding—good health, camaraderie, and higher self-esteem, to name a few. So, for our second decade, we set a goal to expand these opportunities to youth around the world. 2014 was the year THF launched its first International Program, through a partnership with Skateistan, the incredible network of skateboarding schools in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa. Students at Skateistan live under some of the most chal- lenging circumstances, often dropping out of school in order to work and help their families. Through Skateistan, they re-enter the world of academics, catch up with their schoolwork, and enjoy time in the skatepark with trained local instructors. The draw of the skatepark helps these kids learn what they’re capable of, and gets them back on an academic track, and re-integrated into the local school system. Skateistan is just one effective approach to addressing the needs of youth around the world. And as I’ve discovered other amaz- ing programs that also harness the magic of skateboarding to encourage youth to develop healthy, active lifestyles, I’ve realized just how universal skateboarding’s appeal truly is. If you build it—they will skate. Any one organization can’t do everything for everyone, but it’s amazing the number of issues a skatepark can address—from increasing opportunities for physical activity, to reducing local crime, to addressing less tangible social issues like isolation or depression. We’ve had communities we work with tell us about their new skatepark improving the lives of their youth in these and many other ways. Above: Tony Hawk blasts a frontside air at the skatepark grand opening in Ann Arbor, If in ten years I can report that we’ve taken the lessons we Michigan on June 21, 2014. Photo: Joe Gall learned here at home and successfully implemented them Left: Assisting a student at Skateistan in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: Sam Jam through our partners internationally, I’ll know for sure what I now believe—that skateboarding inspires, that it inspires universally, and the more opportunity we can create for youth to experience it, the better they will be for it. And so will we all. FULFILLING OUR MISSION Since its launch in 2002, the Tony Hawk Foundation has reached feedback loop informs us and helps to continually To-date, the foundation has awarded over $5.2-million to communities of all sizes across the U.S. to assist in their efforts to improve our procedures and teaching materials. 557 communities in all 50 States. Currently, 482 THF-assisted create free, concrete public skateparks. At the time, State laws were skateparks have opened, and at any given time about modernizing and progressive local leaders were eager to create new Another key aspect of THF’s educational services 90–100 projects remain in-process, receiving guidance, skateparks for their growing number of skaters, but they had no idea is the army of veteran advocates who’ve been advocacy training, and other services from THF staff. where to start. Elsewhere, local skaters and their supporters were successful with the foundation’s assistance, and organizing and eager to pursue a local skatepark, but had no experi- who now assist other communities in their region Collectively, the total value of the projects THF has contributed ence navigating City Hall. with those skatepark efforts. to exceeds $100-million in park and recreation improvements, much of which was raised as a result of communities receiving For over a decade, the Tony Hawk Foundation has provided this THF has no affiliation with specific designers or a THF Skatepark Grant, making the $5.2-million the critical link between local skaters and their community leaders to builders, and represents the interest of each foundation has contributed highly leveraged. ensure the skaters had a voice in the creation of their local skate- community we work with. As commercial skatepark park, and the knowledge to effectively promote their projects firms contact local advocates to secure contracts, Internationally, THF supports programming that enriches the throughout the community. THF remains the advocate’s unbiased expert. lives of children through skateboarding. Our international partner, Skateistan, currently operates four schools in Technical assistance and advocacy training have been the corner- In addition to our technical assistance, THF Afghanistan (2), Cambodia, and South Africa that provide stone of the foundation’s work, as the lessons each group learn along also provides construction grants for skatepark educational services to at-risk youth. its path are shared back with THF staff in follow-up interviews. This projects in low-income communities in the U.S. Los Angeles, California SKATEPARKS: AN ANSWER The evidence is clear—kids today are less active than they were a few years ago, and it’s affecting their health. They spend more time indoors and less time participating in physical activities that provide much-need- ed exercise. Today, 17% of children and adolescents1 in the U.S. are obese, a number that has tripled since 1980. While the general trend is alarming enough, children in low-income families are particularly at risk. They have less access to costly organized sports leagues and equipment, and less opportunity to travel to parks or fields to exercise. Obesity has become a critical national priority, with long-term health risks, including—but not limited to—heart disease, high cholesterol, depression, and even cancer2. Skateboarding is a low-cost solution to this national health epidemic. It’s healthy, it’s athletic, and most importantly, it’s fun. If kids enjoy exercis- ing, chances are they’ll do it more. And if they exercise more, they’ll be in better health—with more energy, greater self-esteem, and even improved academic performance3. In addition to the direct health benefits, research even suggests that skate- boarding can help keep teens out of trouble. A 2006 study found that skate- boarders are less likely to smoke cigarettes, have sex, and skip school4. Based on the latest research, 5.4-million youth participate in skate- boarding5. That’s a more than 8% increase from 2013. Meanwhile, many traditional sports have recently experienced decreases in participa- tion (baseball -3%, basketball -7%, tennis -2%). Recognizing this trend, many high schools across the U.S. are responding to skateboarding’s popularity, incorporating skateboarding into their physical-education programs, clubs, and after-school curricula. There are approximately 3,000 skateparks nationwide, though based on current participation, another 9,000 are needed. Skateparks provide a safe, sanctioned place for skaters to recreate, and they bring these once marginalized athletes together, to share their skills and build a com- munity of like-minded youth. With 482 of the 557 skateparks Tony Hawk Foundation has awarded grants to since 2002 now open, children are currently making more than 5-million visits annually to these parks and enjoying creative exercise. City and recreation officials routinely report that their new skatepark is by far the most popular facility they operate. 1. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NCHS Health E-Stat, Prevalence of Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, Trends 1963-1965 Through 2007-2008, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (cdc.gov). When planned carefully, with the help of skatepark professionals and 2. Source: “Overweight And Obesity: Health Consequences,” United States Department Of Health And Human Services (surgeongeneral.gov). local skaters, a public skatepark does so much more than give the kids 3. “The Importance Of Regular Physical Activity For Children,” Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (cdc.gov). somewhere to play. It gives them somewhere to grow and develop 4. “Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Patterns are Associated with Selected Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors,” PEDIATRICS, Vol. 117 No. 4, April 2006 healthy lifestyles. But as far as they’re concerned, it’s just a place to 5. National Sporting Goods Association (nsga.org), 2014 Lewiston, Maine enjoy themselves. PROGRAMS The primary focus of the Tony Hawk Founda- Grants tion is to help facilitate the development of free, The Tony Hawk Foundation Board Of Directors high-quality public skateparks in low-income reviews grant applications twice a year and issues areas by providing information and guidance grants based on merit and available funds. They give on the skatepark-development process, and preference to grassroots projects in disadvantaged through financial grants. While not all communities where children have limited recreational skatepark projects meet our grant criteria, the opportunities or access to existing skateparks. They Tony Hawk Foundation strives to help communities also favor projects that demonstrate strong skater in other ways to achieve the best possible involvement. skateparks—parks that will satisfy the needs of local skaters, provide them a safe, enjoy- Tony Hawk Foundation grants typically range from able place to ride, and promote healthy, $5,000 to $25,000.