About Us

My brother, Steve, gave me my first skateboard when I was nine years old, and that board became an extension of me. 

Skateboarding wasn’t cool at the time, so I would ditch my board in the bushes next to school to avoid being bullied. But I was small for my age, and school was difficult. I was harassed and stuffed in trash cans—stuff straight out of the movies. Everything changed for me the first time I got invited to a skatepark. I saw people flying through the air, and I knew that I wanted to fly too. 

Back then, skateboarding was seen as a symbol of rebellion, a sport of last resort for troublemakers and outcasts. I was very fortunate that my parents ignored such stereotypes. They appreciated the highly creative community that surrounded skateboarding and recognized the confidence it gave me. So they encouraged me to keep at it, to get stronger, and to continue to push myself. I spent much of my youth at the local skatepark, and it was there that I finally found a true sense of belonging.

To this day, when you go to any skatepark across the country, you’ll find people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, skill levels, and beliefs cheering each other on. It’s one of the few places where such differences melt away, where a professional athlete and a total novice can share space and learn from each other. All that matters is your passion and determination. For me, there’s no better feeling than watching a kid land their first kickflip, or watching Arisa Trew land the first 900 by a female. From learning the simplest tricks to stomping the most challenging NBD, you’ll always find yourself surrounded by encouragement and support. 

That’s why in 2001, when I won $125,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Celebrity Edition, I used that money to help launch a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping underserved communities build free, safe, high-quality public skateparks. I wanted kids across the country and around the world to experience what I'd experienced, and to have access to the many benefits that skateboarding and skateparks can impart: confidence, resilience, determination, perseverance, creativity and, most of all, a community that welcomes them. 

Today, The Skatepark Project has helped build nearly 700 skateparks across all 50 states, has provided thousands of kids with skateboards, helmets and pads, makes clinics and contests available in underserved neighborhoods, has supported international communities to realize their skatepark dreams, and so much more. The small nonprofit that we created 25 years ago has grown beyond anything I could have imagined, all thanks to our dedicated community of friends and supporters—people like you—who make it all possible.

Tony Hawk, Founder & Chair of the Board