Partnership with Tony Hawk Foundation provides critical funding for Chandler Park during COVID-19 crisis.
Skaters in Detroit will soon have a new skatepark to enjoy after the COVID-19 crisis passes, thanks in part to a generous donation from the Find Your Grind Foundation. (Photo: Justin Mierzejewski)
Vista, CA (May 26, 2020) – With a matching-grant deadline looming, the Find Your Grind (FYG) Foundation has stepped up during an extremely difficult time for fundraising and combined resources with the Tony Hawk Foundation (THF), to support the Chandler Park Skatepark project in Detroit, Michigan, ensuring Detroit kids there will have a free, safe place to skate once the COVID-19 crisis has passed.
The FYG Foundation is providing $150,000 to help the project qualify for a matching grant of up to $300,000 that was previously awarded by THF and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation through the Built to Play Skatepark program. These partnerships, along with the efforts of local advocates, have proven critical to the success of getting the Chandler Park Skatepark project off the ground.
“This gift from the Find Your Grind Foundation comes at a very challenging time for fundraising,” said Tony Hawk. “And skatepark projects are no exception, as they are still important for the well being and mental health of our youth as we emerge from these restrictions. We are grateful to partner with the Find Your Grind Foundation to make this landmark project in Detroit a reality.”
“Being able to improve communities through skateboarding is a huge win for everyone involved,” said Find Your Grind Foundation Co-Founder Nick Gross. “Find Your Grind is all about helping people discover who they want to be and where they want to go. Whether these next generation skaters use this park as a way into a new career in skateboarding or simply as an outlet to blow off steam, we’re stoked to be a part of that journey.”
The skatepark project is an initiative of the Chandler Park Conservancy, whose mission is to develop exceptional educational, recreational, and conservation opportunities at Chandler Park for youth and people of all ages. Its vision is a revitalized Chandler Park, one of only four 200-plus-acre regional parks in the City of Detroit; the skatepark will be a centerpiece of this modernization.
“The Chandler Park skatepark will be a unique recreational facility for Detroit’s East Side,” said Alex J. Allen, III, President & CEO of the Chandler Park Conservancy. “The community is looking forward to attracting a diverse group of people from our neighborhoods, and across the region. The Find Your Grind Foundation’s donation is the catalyst for this project, and we greatly appreciate their investment.”
Though this gift from the FYG Foundation has reinvigorated the community’s efforts and qualified the project for critical matching funds, more donations are needed. To help the Chandler Park Conservancy reach its funding goal, visit www.chandlerparkconservancy.org/projects for information.
For more information on skatepark grants and services from the THF, or to sign up for the Skatepark Insider newsletter, visit www.skatepark.org. Learn more about the FYG Foundation’s work at http://www.fygfoundation.org/.
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Tony Hawk Foundation (THF)
A charitable, non-profit organization, the Tony Hawk Foundation was established in 2002 by its namesake, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. THF promotes and provides advocacy training and funds for high-quality public skateparks in low-income areas throughout the United States that promote healthy, active lifestyles, and to International programs that enrich the lives of youth through skateboarding.
Domestically, the Foundation’s Skatepark Grant programs have awarded over $10-million to 641 communities in all 50 States, including $4.3-million through its Built to Play Skatepark Program in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. THF focuses on working with local officials and grassroots, community-based organizations that plan to hire designers and contractors with strong experience designing and building skateparks.
The Foundation’s International Program has provided technical support to skatepark projects on every continent and awarded $150,000 to assist youth through the Skateistan educational programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa (www.skateistan.org).
The Tony Hawk Foundation was established by a gift from Tony Hawk. Its directors raise additional funds through events, donations, and continuing contributions from Tony and other entities. For more information, visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.skatepark.org. You can also visit THF on facebook and Instagram @tonyhawkfoundation, and on Twitter @THF.
Find Your Grind (FYG) Foundation
Founded in 2017, the FYG Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Find Your Grind, a Los Angeles-based self-discovery and career exploration platform that gives Gen Z a better way to understand how they want to live and work and how to take the first steps to get there. By providing industry-specific experiential learning opportunities to underserved youth, the FYG Foundation inspires and excites the next generation to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and explore possibilities. This complements Find Your Grind’s aim to be a guide for young people. By working with schools, families and students, Find Your Grind helps anyone understand their lifestyle preferences and then looks at established, emerging and evolving jobs through both statistics and required skills as well as first-hand “from the field” stories from “mentors” who explore what they do, what their professional journeys have been like, and what advice they have to give others. For more information, please visit www.fygfoundation.org.
