Freedom Skate Park and HomeFront Give Free Skates to At-Risk Youth – TrentonDaily News

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora joined a team of volunteers at Freedom Skate Park on Saturday, November 23 to provide free skateboards and lessons on the basics of skating to a group of 30 at-risk youth from the Trenton area. Freedom organized the event in partnership with HomeFront to give youth who might not otherwise be able to afford skateboard equipment an opportunity to skate and get a board of their own. Saturdays event was the first of four Grom-A-Rama board giveaways the organization has planned as part of its Trenton Winter Skateboarding Program, which provides the only skate park in Trenton and the only indoor skate park in the state of New Jersey.

The Freedom team teaches themimportant life lessons about thinking creatively, setting goals, and followingthrough on those goals. But were also giving kids the chance to do somethingfun. Were putting them on the path towards success while continuing to build ahealthy, safe Capital City community, said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. Todaysevent provided that opportunity for these kids, and giving each of them a boardto take home means theyll be able to keep practicing and share our lessonswith their friends.

Currently, there are no skate parksin Trenton and no indoor skate parks in the entire state of New Jersey. Thismeans there are no safe, legal places for youth and young adults in Trenton tolearn the important lessons skating teaches and there is nowhere forskateboarders in New Jersey to practice their skills when it is too rainy,cold, or dark to skate outside.

Freedoms Trenton WinterSkateboarding Program addresses both of these problems by providing a public,indoor skate park in the historic Roebling Wire Works building. In addition toweekly Open Skate events, Freedom partners with local nonprofits serviceat-risk youth to run monthly Grom-A-Rama board giveaways.

Drawing their name from the termgrom, which is skateboard slang for a young skater, these events empoweryoung people to have confidence in their own ideas and welcome them into theskate community while providing equipment for youth who may not be able toafford it. Saturdays event brought a group of 30 youth participating inHomeFront programs to the park for small group instruction as well as supervisedfree skate. At the end of the event, every child who participated took hometheir very own skateboard.

Skateboarding is a unique activitythat teaches crucial life lessons that have benefits far beyond the skate park.The process of seeing an obstacle, thinking of a trick to do on that obstacle,and then perfecting the physical skill needed to perform the trick teachesyoung people to think outside the box, set goals for themselves, and followthrough, said Jake McNichol, Founder and Executive Director of Freedom.Working together with the City of Trenton, HomeFront, and so many passionatevolunteers to give kids in Trenton who otherwise might not be able to skate thechance to not only enjoy the park but also take home their own board to keeppracticing and share skating with their friends is critical to Freedomsmission to use skating as a tool to build a stronger, healthier Trenton. We areso thankful for Mayor Guscioras support and we look forward to continuing tocollaborate with the City to keep growing Trentons skateboard scene.

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Freedom Skate Park and HomeFront Give Free Skates to At-Risk Youth - TrentonDaily News