Live Music Benefit to Support Kentucky’s New Indoor Skatepark Happening December 30th

There is a pretty rad non-profit in Henderson, Kentucky centered around making skateboarding accessible with the area's first, totally free, indoor skatepark and you can support it by attending an upcoming benefit concert.

Meet Gift

Gift Skateboarding is a new non-profit in Henderson, Kentucky that is focused on making the sport of skateboarding available to anyone and everyone regardless of age, gender, or economic status. According to their Facebook page,

Gift Skateboarding is a non-profit organization committed to providing safe and accessible community spaces and programs centered around skateboarding.

 

Free Skateboarding

Gift will host Henderson's only totally free indoor skatepark where skaters can borrow loner boards and protective gear, all while skating and grinding in a safe environment. They will even offer free lessons regularly with some of the city's most experienced skaters. The non-profit also donates skateboards and gear to area youth who may not be able to afford their own. (Find out how you can gift a board and gear to a young skater here)

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Getting a New Location

Gift Skateboarding came around after the owner of the now-since-closed Cure Skate Shop realized the need to make skateboarding accessible to everyone. While it was once housed inside the former location of Cure Skate Shop on North Green Street in Henderson, Kentucky, Gift is getting a new and larger facility. The former skatepark underwent a deconstruction (pictured above) as the nonprofit plans to reuse as much of its existing build resources as possible.

Why Skateboarding

When asked "Why skateboarding?" Gift Executive Director, Matt Glick tells us,

There are a multitude of reasons to support skateboarding and the skate community, regardless of your personal connections to it. For one, the activity is a path toward better mental and physical health. Aside from the cardio and core strength that skating inherently builds, it requires you to develop problem solving skills and resilience. People vastly underestimate the amount of nuance and time involved in mastering the simplest of skateboarding maneuvers. These traits always translate to other areas of a skater's life, even decades later. I've never met a skateboarder whose path in life wasn't directly influenced, in a positive way, by the lessons they learned from skating.

What to Expect

The new location will offer a great deal more space once construction is complete and the non-profit will continue with its mission to make skateboarding accessible to the youth in the community. The progress has been slow but steady on the new space as volunteers have been working tirelessly to build out the park as donated materials, labor, and funds have trickled in.

Get Involved and Support Gift Skateboarding

If you would like to get involved or make a donation to help Gift Skateboarding continue its mission of providing a safe place for the community to skate, you can learn more by visiting GiftSkateboarding.com. You can also make plans to attend an upcoming concert to benefit the skatepark.

Rock Out to Raise Money

On December 30, 2022, you can visit Gift Skateboarding at 2480 US 41 North, Suite 170 in Henderson, Kentucky to experience live music from Thunder Dreamer, Hyper Tensions, A Modest Proposal, Together in Dust, The Snakes, and Woe Boy. Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the live music will begin at 7 pm. There will be a $10 cover at the door and the proceeds will go to benefit Gift Skateboarding. Get more details from the Facebook event page.