Boards for Bros is a group of skateboarders working together to collect and refurbish skateboards so they can be redistributed back into the community for children who cannot afford their own.

By helping the skateboard community give skateboards to those without the opportunity to ride one otherwise, Boards for Bros works to show that skateboarding can help children learn discipline, respect, and perseverance that will assist them throughout their entire lives, while having fun and exercising.

Boards for Bros is the natural extension of an idea that formed one day in 2006 at the historic Bro Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Some skateboarders, their families, and their friends were skating and the usual crowd of local kids stood by, watching excitedly. Since the park had been built in 1979, the locals never seemed to have their own skateboards, but were always stoked to borrow one of the visiting skaters' boards.

This original group of skaters was Paul Schmitt, Ed Womble, and Ryan Clements. Realizing they could be the ones to make a change in these kids’ lives, this group of skaters, and by extension, the entire family at Skatepark of Tampa, organized the collection of used skateboards, refurbished them, and gave them out to kids in some of the sketchier areas of Tampa around the holidays. Boards for Bros was born.

Since that first year, Boards for Bros has been collecting and refurbishing hardgoods for the kids in Tampa, and many folks in the skateboarding industry have noticed, taking up their own collections and even donating complete boards.

In 2010, Emerica’s Wild in the Streets in Tampa was held to benefit Boards for Bros, raising money, awareness, and a bunch of gear to give to kids. That event led to the formation of a long-term partnership between Emerica and Boards for Bros. Wild in the Streets is about empowering kids, and by aligning with worthy causes Emerica encourages kids to be part of something bigger than themselves, and even bigger than skateboarding. All Emerica events will benefit Boards for Bros, and the 2011 Wild in the Streets event in Los Angeles will be the launch of the first Boards for Bros donation outside of Florida.

Boards for Bros Mission Statement: To inspire kids to use skateboarding as a gateway to a healthy life by giving them refurbished skateboards through a joint industry effort.

Participating Shops

The shops below are giving 10% off Emerica gear on the day you donate hardgood to Boards for Bros.

Active Ride Shop - all locations
Ambush, Kennsaw, GA
BC Surf & Sport, Littleton, CO
Billy's, Newhall, CA
Blue Tile Skateshop, Columbia, SC
Church of Skatan, Santa Barbara, CA
Clockwork Skateboards, Macon, GA
Epidemic Ride Shop, Cathedral City, CA
Escapist, Kansas City, MO
Fifty-50, Azusa, CA
Furnace, Cypress, CA
Goodtime Boardstore, Grass Valley, CA
Homebase Skateshop, Bethlehem, PA
Huntington Surf & Sport, Huntington Beach, CA
Identity, Anaheim, CA
IDS Boardshop, Los Angeles, CA
Index Skateboarding, Dallas, TX
K-5 Surf & Sport, Encinitas, CA
Kinetic, Wilmington, DE
Krudco, Rochester, NY
One Way Boardshop, Santa Maria, CA
Pacific Drive, San Diego, CA
Pharmacy Boardshop, Las Vegas, NV
Pharmacy Boardshop, Palmdale, CA
Pit Crew, Frederick, MD
Plus Skateshop, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Pride Surf and Skate, San Diego, CA
Rukus Boardsports, Baton Rouge, LA
Society Ride Shop, San Carlos, CA
Solstice, New Bedford, MA
Subsect, Des Moines, IA
Surfride, Costa Mesa, CA
Uprise, Chicago, IL
Vertical Urge, Raleigh, NC
Westside Skateshop, Tarpon Springs, FL

Go Skateboarding Day and Emerica's Wild in the Streets

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

By Rob Meronek

After 300 or so skateboarders took off and hit the streets from Skatepark of Tampa, there wasn't much the police could do other than help clear a path at each intersection to help keep it safe. Once again, nice move, boys. Maybe next year we can work together on something? Who knows. Here are some photos I took along the way including a sequence of Andrew Reynolds' ollie out of the Bro Bowl.

Wild in the Streets shirts were gone pretty fast. All the money from these was given to Boards for Bros.
Around noon, things started to get thick out front.
Just before rolling...
Andrew Reynolds took care of photos and autographs and we were off.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynods' shoes and Ed Templeton's board.
Skater Profile: Ed Templeton
Thanks to the Emerica Team for joining us - Andrew Reynolds, Ed Templeton, Marquis Preston, and Bryan Herman.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Is that an Altamont logo on that truck flap?
Leaving the Park was crazy as all of us stopped traffic going in the other direction.
Turning the corner left from Columbus on to 40th Street was an amazing scene.
Do you spy yourself?
Andrew Reynolds pushed the whole way with us.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Ed Templeton in the pack on 7th Avenue.
Skater Profile: Ed Templeton
Andrew Reynolds and Ed Templeton lead the crew down 7th Avenue.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Headed into Ybor now.
Flicks on 7th.
I think we were a little spread out by this point on 7th in the heart of Ybor City.
Thanks to the Red Bull team for hooking up refreshments along the way.
On to Channelside Drive.
By the time we got to downtown, it was thinning out with many people stopping to rest after this already long skate. Here, Bryan Herman and Yonnie Cruz lead the charge into downtown.
I think it was down to only about 60 people that made it this far on the downtown stretch on to the Bro Bowl. Everyone else must have taken a short cut.
Our final resting and skate spot was the Bro Bowl.
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
Stadium seating
Alejandro, Alex, and Kearley know how to stay cool.
Next up was a flat gap session with Andrew Reynolds and Bryan Herman.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Bryan Herman - 360 flip.
Skater Profile: Bryan Herman
Rep your company.
There were many take a poops on attempts to ollie this gap. Reynolds is the only one who can do it.
I don't think I know of anyone else who has done anything out of the Bro Bowl to flat like Andrew Reynolds' 1998 kickflip meron and today's ollie out of it.
Skater Profile: Andrew Reynolds
Bryan Herman bought pizza for everyone. You can see it in his eyes.
Skater Profile: Bryan Herman
Ed Templeton and Andrew Reynolds recovering from the heat. Maybe the shirts should have been white.
Skater Profile: Ed Templeton
Ed and Clements auctioned off decks to raise money for Boards for Bros. We'll be back at Christmas to give away all the boards we accumulate.
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
As far as I know, no one ended up in the paddywagon.
Thanks to everyone who donated and joined us for a fun skate across town.