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

Boards for Bros 2010 Assembly

Thursday, December 16, 2010

By Rob Meronek

Boards for Bros is our charity at Skatepark of Tampa. All year long, we collect used parts in the Shop. At the end of the year, we gather some friends and put everything together into as many usable skateboards as we can. Then we go through the rough neighborhoods of Tampa and give out hundreds of boards to kids. Last night the crew put together over 200 boards for our giveaway trip this Saturday.

Some Footage From My Cell Phone



Before we start, it's a quick session in Frosty's Dungeon. Keith Works sees everything you do in Ybor City. During Tampa Am and Pro, you may know him from the wrist check every time you come and go. Way, way back, we used to be roommates and got ourselves evicted for childish pranks at our apartment complex.
Tom McKessy is behind the counter in our Shop. I like the Egyptian front rock.
Jacob Krajewski's backside disaster is looking like a hip buster because he's about to come in frontside revert.
Skater Profile: Jacob Krajewski
Dirt Weasel is growing up, lookin' all mathmatical with those scientist glasses.
Skater Profile: Dirt Weasel
Frosty's evil ass back smith. This is his dungeon.
Skater Profile: Jason Fintel aka Frosty
Alright, it's time to get to work and start the assembly line.
Old wheels to make new boards.
These old trucks will be new to someone on Saturday.
Even better than recycling is using something once again for its original intended purpose.
Tagged.
The assembly line.
Two hours of bearing pressing.
Almost there.
Spike.
Dirt Weasel setting up the Corey Duffel special.
Skater Profile: Dirt Weasel
Afro Jim and James Cobb on the assembly line.
Over 100 boards were piled up in the first two hour session, then 100 more after a pizza break.
Alex found her old board in the stack.
Porpe found his old board in there, too.
Skater Profile: Jorge Angel aka Porpe
Stencil stick.
Montesi and friends got a Westside board in the pile.
The crew making it happen. We'll be going through the rough neighborhoods of Tampa on Saturday morning to give all these out to random kids. Check BoardsForBros.com for more info.