Perry Farrell and company will perform at Tony Hawk Foundation fundraiser in Beverly Hills.

Tony Hawk spins the elusive 900 during the Vert Demo at Stand Up For Skateparks. Photo: Jody Morris

8/24/10 (San Diego, CA) – L.A. rock legends Jane’s Addiction will headline the musical program at Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, the annual fundraiser benefitting the Tony Hawk Foundation and its mission to create free, quality skateparks for at-risk youth throughout the U.S.

Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks takes place Sunday, October 17, 2010 at the home of Ron Burkle, Green Acres, in Beverly Hills, California. The exclusive event will feature games, activities, food, live and silent auctions, a Vert Demo by Tony Hawk and an all-star cast of pro skateboarders and BMX riders on Tony’s personal ramp, and a special set by Jane’s Addiction that promises to make for a unique, intimate, and one-of-a-kind event.

Jane’s frontman Perry Farrell is a longtime supporter of the Tony Hawk Foundation and a member of the event’s Benefit Committee, which also includes Tony Hawk, Shaun White, Chantal and Stephen Cloobeck, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Ron Burkle, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Michael Eisner, Jon Favreau, Leeza Gibbons, Robin and Danny Greenspun, Mia Hamm, Mat Hoffman, Terry Kennedy, Bobby Kotick, Chuck Liddell, Howie Mandel, Sal Masekela, Andrew and Trina Pascal, Paul Rodriguez, Jr., and Elaine Wynn.

“Music of Jane's Addiction flying through the air, Tony Hawk flying through the air, that's a party!” said Perry Farrell.

“Whenever asked about my favorite bands of all-time, Jane's Addiction is always at the top of my list,” said Tony Hawk. “It will be a dream-come-true to have them play at our event.”

Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks launched in Los Angeles in 2004, and has become the must-go charity event for young families and action-sports fans. Now in its seventh year, the event has played a critical role in helping the Tony Hawk Foundation bring quality, accessible skateparks to youth in 463 communities nationwide. Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks is made possible through the support of Activision, Ex Drinks, Mondrian Los Angeles, Dynacraft, Quiksilver Foundation, and T-Mobile USA.

In addition to many new activities, this year’s event will include a special Pledge Drive for a skatepark in Long Beach, California. With a high concentration of youth, few recreational opportunities, and one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country, Long Beach’s Central neighborhood is home to a grassroots community effort to build a skatepark. This project will offer youth in the Long Beach urban core a place to be safe, active, and engaged. The Pledge Drive at Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks will help make these kids’ dream of a free, quality, local skatepark a reality.

Information about Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, is available at www.standupforskateparks.org. There you can also view some one-of-a-kind auction items, including signed memorabilia, unique experiences, and much more!

If you aren’t able to attend Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, but would like to make a contribution to the Long Beach Skatepark project or submit a proxy bid for some of the exclusive auction items, contact C.C. Hafner at 760-477-2479, or e-mail cc@tonyhawkfoundation.org

You can also text the word RIDE to 90999 via your mobile phone to donate $10 to the Tony Hawk Foundation*. Now through Sunday, October 17, 2010 all text donations will go directly to the Long Beach Skatepark project.

By Ryan ZumMallen | Long Beach Post

Young Long Beach Skaters at the opening of the 16th Street Skate Park earlier this year. The Tony Hawk Foundation announced today that it will benefit the construction of a new skatepark nearby. Photo: LBPost.com

The foundation of world-famous professional skateboarder Tony Hawk has chosen a Long Beach skatepark to be the beneficiary of proceeds from its annual pledge-drive at the Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks fundraiser in Beverly Hills this October.

Similar efforts in the past have raised upwards of $50,000 to $80,000 to build skateparks in low-income communities.

McBride Park is located in Central Long Beach at 16th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, just across the street from Long Beach Poly High School. The park has been planning construction of a 10,000-sq. foot skatepark and funds from the Tony Hawk Foundation drive are expected to boost that effort.

"We are honored and excited that the Tony Hawk Foundation has chosen McBride Skatepark," said 6th District Councilmember Dee Andrews. "The additional funding will allow us to provide a world-class skate park for the community. Helping us give kids an alternative to the streets is what the project is all about. With the Tony Hawk Foundation in the mix we have the opportunity to create even more energy, excitement and pride from the kids and the community involved in the skatepark."

The pledge event will be held on October 17 in Beverly Hills and is themed as an action-sports carnival with live music and professional skateboarders and BMX riders performing tricks on Hawk's own personal ramp. Since 2002 the events have raised $3.2 million to construct 463 skateparks across the U.S.

"This is a huge and unexpected honor," said Mike Donelon, a former Long Beach City Councilman who founded the Long Beach Skatepark program and has also been an integral part of the effort to construct the 16th Street Skatepark. Donelon has been involved in the effort at McBride Park for more than one year. His work has brought him close to the Tony Hawk Foundation.

"THF has been more than generous with their time and giving us skateboard decks, wheels, clothes and other items for our raffles and give aways to the kids. The selection of Long Beach speaks volumes for our Mayor, City Council, and our Parks, Recreation and Marine Department's support of skateparks and most importantly, the kids that ride them. Long Beach recognizes that skateparks work. They are a deterrent to gangs and give our at risk youth an alternative to the streets."

The event will be held at a private estate this October, and both Andrews and Donelon will escort a group of young skaters. Long Beach has created a reputation as a skateboarding mecca in recent years, particularly for youth of all cultures in a sport that is predominantly white. A recent documentary focused on the phenomenon - for lack of a better word - of black skaters in Long Beach.

"Long Beach has a strong history in supporting youth who choose skateboarding and BMX as their sports of choice, " said Tony Hawk Foundation Executive Director Miki Vuckovich. " Over a decade ago the city's leaders took the initiative to provide these safe havens for kids to go , ride, and remain engaged in something positive and healthy. Tony and our Board of Directors is proud to have the opportunity to share Long Beach's story and show our support in this way."

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New requirements in effect for Tony Hawk Foundation skatepark grants.

New developments in the skatepark industry have resulted in lower-cost, durable concrete options. Here, local youth enjoy the custom-concrete Garvanza Skatepark in Los Angeles, California (Photo: Miki Vuckovich).

Tony Hawk Foundation grant applicants hoping for funds to help build their skateparks will need to review their plans before completing the new application. Revised guidelines require that most skateparks receiving Foundation funding be built from concrete.

In an effort to promote more durable, permanent skateparks, the Tony Hawk Foundation is requiring that all grant applicants whose skatepark budgets are more than $50,000 build their projects from concrete. Applicants whose project budgets are $50,000 or less must demonstrate that they’ve at least received estimates for concrete options, though they may apply to fund steel-framed modular parks in that price range.

In surveying applicant projects since 2008, Foundation staff have noticed a decline in the average cost of concrete skateparks, which in many cases were less expensive than modular skateparks of similar scale. Developments in both the design and building sectors of the skatepark industry have contributed to this trend, and communities with smaller-scale skatepark projects that were previously limited to modular options have been successful in finding creative concrete solutions.

“Our goal has always been to assist communities in developing the best possible skatepark for their budget,” said Tony Hawk Foundation Executive Director Miki Vuckovich. “Possibly because of the slow economy, what were previously higher-cost concrete options have become much more affordable. Ultimately, the true cost of a skatepark is realized over several years—the initial construction plus the long-term maintenance. Concrete skateparks have historically outlasted ramps and require the least amount of maintenance. Those are important considerations, particularly for the lower-income communities where we work.”

Among the new Tony Hawk Foundation grant-application criteria are the following:

• Skateparks located on an asphalt surface (i.e. modular ramps on an asphalt tennis court) or built from wood-framed ramps are not eligible to apply for a Tony Hawk Foundation grant.
• If the total cost of the skatepark is more than $50,000 it must be built from either custom concrete or modular-concrete products.
• If the total cost of the skatepark is between $25,000 and $50,000 it may be built from steel-framed modular ramps, but applicants must receive estimates from two design firms for a concrete skatepark.

The Fall 2010 Tony Hawk Foundation grant season begins August 15. Full details of grant-application criteria are listed in the Grant Application section of the Foundation’s Web site.

Word document version of this story.

Tony Hawk Foundation returns to Beverly Hills and Las Vegas for the Annual Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up For Skateparks Benefits.

Tony Hawk Foundation’s exclusive, family-centric, action-sports carnivals feature special music performances and Vert Demos with the icons of skateboarding and BMX on Hawk’s personal ramp. The benefits also include games, food and auctions with one-of -a-kind items. Proceeds help empower at-risk youth through the creation of free, quality, public skateparks in low-income communities across the US. The Tony Hawk: SHRED Presents Stand Up for Skateparks benefits are made possible through the generosity of Activision’s Tony Hawk: SHRED, Ex Drinks, Wynn Las Vegas, Mondrian Los Angeles, Dynacraft, Quiksilver, Zappos, and T-Mobile USA.

BEVERLY HILLS
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
12 – 4 pm
Green Acres Estate
Beverly Hills, CA

LAS VEGAS
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
12 – 4 pm
Wynn Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV

TICKETS:
$350.00 for individual tickets
Ticket packages available
*To purchase tickets please contact C.C. Hafner at 760.477.2479, or to purchase online visit standupforskateparks.org.

Word document version of this story.

Skate legend and longtime Tony Hawk Foundation supporter and Board Member Mike Vallely spoke to Max Flower TV recently about his work with THF. Mike has a long history of supporting worthwhile causes and putting his money where his mouth is. His contributions to THF over the years have been crucial to the Foundation's growth and ability to share the message about the need for more accessible, quality skateparks.

Tony Hawk Foundation supports skatepark projects from Washington to Florida.

Skaters make do on an empty foundation in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Scott Lowden.

5/4/10 (Vista, CA) – The Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark is a key component of Atlanta, Georgia’s downtown redevelopment effort, the Atlanta BeltLine. It’s also been a long time coming for a city that is one of the country’s major skateboarding hubs, and will help redefine an historic community that is lacking in public recreational space. For those and many other equally compelling reasons, the Tony Hawk Foundation Board of Directors voted last week to award Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (the implementing entity of Atlanta’s comprehensive urban redevelopment initiative) $25,000 to help complete the 15,000-square-foot skatepark.

“The Atlanta BeltLine is honored to be selected by the Tony Hawk Foundation for this generous grant,” said Brian Leary, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “This is an endorsement of the amazing collaboration between the City, Atlanta BeltLine, and our incredible local skateboard community. The inspiration came from the vision, will, and determination of the community. Combined with the City’s strong support, and now this outstanding gift, the new park—Atlanta’s first fully designed skate park—will be one of the best skate facilities in the U.S.”

“We are proud and honored to support the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark project in Atlanta,” said Tony Hawk. “It represents everything we stand for at THF—community involvement that benefits at-risk youth in an area that traditionally has had very little support for sports like skateboarding. We are excited to be attached to a project that will be such a vital and vibrant part of the Fourth Ward community.”

A total of nineteen projects are recipients of the Tony Hawk Foundation Spring 2010 Skatepark Grants. Worth a total of $150,000, the awards bring each of the recipients closer to their goal of building a free, quality public skatepark in their community.

Including both urban and rural communities across the U.S.—literally from coast to coast—this season’s grant recipients bring the total number of community skateparks assisted by the foundation to 463.

Spring 2010 Tony Hawk Foundation Grant Recipients

$25,000
Atlanta, Georgia

$10,000
Kissimmee, Florida
Fort Scott, Kansas
Glendive, Montana
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bellingham, Washington
Parsons, West Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia

$5,000
Solana Beach (La Colonia), California
Alamosa, Colorado
LaBelle, Florida
Liberal, Kansas
Melvindale, Michigan
Syracuse, New York
Dickinson, North Dakota
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Gold Beach, Oregon
Beaumont, Texas
Malakoff, Texas

The Tony Hawk Foundation Board of Directors reviews Grant Applications twice annually. Only federally registered nonprofit organizations, municipalities, or public agencies may apply. The application for Fall 2010 Tony Hawk Foundation Skatepark Grants will be available on August 15, 2010. The deadline to complete applications is October 1, 2010.

Young skater pushing through a makeshift skatepark in Atlanta's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.

Skaters roll around the empty foundation they currently use as a skatepark in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.

Skater performs a pivot at a makeshift skatepark in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.

Demo will celebrate and promote the building of Brooklyn's newest Skate Spot.

BY STEPHEN WITT
Community Newspaper Group

Ollie oop!

Skateboard enthusiasts can show off their stuff on April 17 when Thomas Green Park hosts Gowanus Grind, a full day of skate clinics and contests.

The long-forgotten park, on Third Avenue between Douglass and Degraw streets, has been envisioned as a skateboarder haven, complete with grind rails and half pipes — and the Tony Hawk Foundation has doled out some large cash for skate elements that will be installed this summer.

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How Owens Field Got Its Skate Park Back

BY EVA MOORE
Columbia Free Times - Columbia, South Carolina

A boy of about 10 is practicing rail slides, but he can’t land one.

It’s so gusty that every time his board hits the ground at the end of the slide and he stumbles and falls, the wind catches his board and lofts it away from him across the concrete. He goes after it. He skates back around, waits his turn, then goes up again, sliding with the board at right angles to the rail and dropping back to the ground, falling as he hits. And again. And again. And again, arms stuck resolutely out for balance.

It’s a late afternoon day, sunny, very windy and very cold for Columbia, and there are about 30 people at the new Owens Field Skate Park. The oldest is about 40 years old; the youngest, 8. Two-thirds are white; the others black and Asian. All are male.

On perhaps his 15th try, the boy finally lands perfectly, his board hitting the concrete with a rattly, ringing clap.

The first custom-designed concrete skate park in South Carolina is a success even before it’s officially opened. And the story of how it got here is at least five years in the making.

Full Story

Tony Hawk Foundation partners with CRUMBS Bake Shop to offer gourmet cupcake.

The Tony Hawk Foundation has collaborated with CRUMBS Bake Shop to create a signature cupcake, the "Tony Hawk SkateCake.” Proceeds from the sale of the SkateCake will benefit the Tony Hawk Foundation to help provide funds to build high-quality skateparks in low-income areas throughout the United States.

The Tony Hawk SkateCake is a delicious combination of chocolate cake with sprinkles baked into the cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, red and white sprinkles around the edges and topped with a custom sugar-based “skateboard,” that was designed by Tony Hawk himself.

CRUMBS will donate $ 1.00 from every SkateCake sold to The Tony Hawk Foundation. The SkateCake will be available for $3.75 each in all CRUMBS store locations and will also be sold online (shipping nationwide) through the end of the year at www.crumbs.com.