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Immediate Goals
SAN has three immediate goals that are currently being worked on and that require funds for their completion.
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Love Park
Love Park had come to be known as one of the most prominent symbols of skateboarding and youth culture around the world. Yet, just as the city of Philadelphia embraced the financial advantages of skateboarding with one arm, they pushed out the city's skateboarders from the place that brought them this recognition. This loss is not irreversible.
SAN, with the support of the local community and media, has proposed a balanced solution allowing skateboarding to return to Love Park. We agree to fund maintenance of the park and fund repairs for any damage caused by skateboarding. The city sees promise in our proposal and is expecting us to raise the funds.
Gear for Groms
grom n. (1) the abbreviated form of the word grommet meaning small one. (2) An enthusiastic, young beginner in the activities of skateboarding or surfing.
SAN operates Gear For Groms in order to contribute productive skateboarding opportunities for local youth. SAN, partnered with After School Activities Partnerships, currently operates four after school skateboard clubs at Philadelphia public schools. SAN and ASAP coordinate volunteers to operate the clubs, which each meet one afternoon per week on school premises.
SAN solicits the skateboard equipment from skateboard companies and retailers and then donates the equipment to the clubs. Clubs are operated free of charge for these public schools, the children, and their families.
Gear For Groms was initiated in December 2003 as an essay contest organized through local community centers, offering skateboards and helmets as the prizes. Two after school skateboard clubs were launched for the 2004-2005 school year. The demand for club membership was so high that this year SAN and ASAP have expanded their efforts citywide. To date, SAN has collected and redistributed over 50 new skateboards and safety equipment.
Skate Park Maintenance
SAN is committed to keeping as many skate spots available as possible. We are dedicated to the maintenance and protection of free, public skate parks. Trash cleanup, terrain repair and general maintenance are primary needs of any public facility. SAN seeks to assist communities with these issues through organized volunteer efforts. We want to be sure that skate parks remain well maintained so they can be a public utility for all skateboarders in these communities. Current projects include the skate parks at FDR, White Hall in Philadelphia and the David Gentile Skate Park in Moorestown, New Jersey. San has already established and implemented a clean-up schedule for these parks with the limited resources we have available. Donations would help provide for proper cleaning tools, paints and the expansion of this project.
Long Term Goals
SAN has many goals for the future of our organization. We see a tremendous need for our community that we want to work on. Future goals include, but are not limited to:
- The construction and maintenance of new free and public skateboarding areas.
- Involvement in the design process and construction of any public skateboarding facilities in the region so that we may serve as a conduit between designers, builders and the skateboarding community.
- Information distribution. We are committed to providing factual information about skateboarding history, liability, safety and its legitimacy as a sport and an art form.
- Expansion. We aspire to grow from a locally centered organization with local goals and concerns to into a national network of communities that can help each other in the promotion and preservation of skateboarding.