At Clearwater’s Neighborhoods Day at Belmont Park on March 30, at least 15 children walked away with a prized new possession — a skateboard, donated by Boards for Bros, a past recipient of the Social Justice Fund Dreamer Grant, and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization “committed to giving skateboards to kids who cannot afford them.”
Neighborhoods Day was sponsored by FYI Community Partnership, one of the many groups the Social Justice Fund is working with to form and foster greater collaborations between nonprofits and CBOs. FYI Community Partnership’s footprint in Clearwater is the Lake Belleview area, extending from Lakeview to Bellair Roads (north-south) and Fort Harrison to Missouri (east-west).
The Social Justice Fund met with FYICP and learned that many of the area’s school-aged residents were within walking distance of Ross-Norton Rec Center, which boasts a new skate park. The problem? Many of those same children’s families couldn’t afford to buy them a skateboard, which means few, if any, of the area’s youth can make use of the new skate park.
Social Justice Fund reached out to Boards for Bros and arranged for a delivery of 15 skateboards as part of a raffle event for FYICP’s Neighborhood day.
Boards for Bros’ executive director, Michelle Box, and her husband Joel were on hand early that morning to drop off the newly outfitted skateboards. Boards for Bros’ website explains the organization’s mission:
Why skateboards? The magic of a skateboard is that it is a mode of transportation in addition to being a tool for play, a tool for discovery, a tool to develop physical skill, a tool to interact with others who share an interest in skateboarding, a tool to teach problem-solving and a tool to teach perseverance. It is good for the mind and the body. It is fun. It can change someone’s life.
FYI Community Partnership is a nonprofit with the mission “to empower families in at-risk communities to strengthen their individual capabilities and enable them to improve their socioeconomic status.” All services to the community offered by the organization are completely free of charge.
FYICP and Boards for Bros hope to further their relationship with a large-scale community build, one of Boards for Bros flagship community initiatives.
In the meantime, next up the Social Justice Fund will be working with FYI Community Partnership to sponsor a mural creation and is currently looking for community partners to help in this venture.
Social Justice Fund Provides Skill-Building Resources
The Social Justice Fund at Pinellas Community Foundation has been a valuable resource for our community. Contact the Social Justice Fund for more information or to apply for support.