Boards + Bands
Benefiting the Tony Hawk Foundation

Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and GRAMMY Award-winning musician Ben Harper have come together to create a unique opportunity for professional skateboarders and iconic musicians to raise significant funds for the Tony Hawk Foundation, and raise awareness for the need for positive recreational outlets for at-risk youth.

Inspired by Ben Harper, a member of the Tony Hawk Foundation Board Of Directors and advocate for public skateparks, this fundraising initiative merges the worlds of skateboarding and music. A select group of Professional Skateboarders were invited to donate their personally ridden skateboards and submit the name of their favorite songs. Their boards were then sent to their favorite musicians with one simple message: “Please write the lyrics to my favorite song on this skateboard, and we’ll use it to create more skateparks for kids.” Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Cliff, Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, and James Hetfield of Metallica have all hand-written the lyrics on these one-of-a-kind skateboards, which will be auctioned on eBay to benefit the Tony Hawk Foundation.

These unique skateboards will be on display at the GRAMMY Museum (www.grammymuseum.org) in downtown Los Angeles, California from the launch on December 3 through the duration of the auction.

Funds raised through this effort will support at-risk youth through the creation of public skateparks in low-income communities across the U.S. These free, public skateparks are safe, sanctioned places for youth to come together, form communities, and practice the sport they love in a healthy environment.

Since 2002 the Tony Hawk Foundation has been helping challenged communities across the U.S. build free, quality public skateparks where at-risk youth can enjoy a positive, physical activity. To-date, the Foundation has helped to fund 512 public skateparks in 50 states. These special skateboards are truly unique, and nothing like Boards + Bands has ever been done before. And certainly not for the benefit of such a special cause. For more information, visit tonyhawkfoundation.org

More ways to support the cause:

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“I cannot stress enough the importance of skateparks in high-risk areas—they offer kids a safe place to go and something to do that gives them a sense of self-esteem they may never find anywhere else. Once communities get their first park, they almost always build more because they see the enduring positive effects they have on kids. Not to mention the parks get used from dawn to dusk.” —Tony Hawk