We attended the grand opening of The Bay this past weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bay is a not for profit indoor skate park whose desire is to mentor and empower the skate culture through a positive environment. They are creating a space where skaters of all ages can creatively develop individual skills while cultivating an atmosphere of growth, love, and community. Our son, Ryan, has been involved with The Bay since he moved to Lincoln three years ago and met the founder, Mike Smith. They, along with a group of folks who care about the skater youth in their community have put a huge amount of time and effort in moving The Bay to its new location. This new location will allow them to expand their organization and influence among the youth of Lincoln. The passion of these folks is inspiring and makes my heart full. We were able to get a real live look into exactly what it is that Ryan is so excited about.
The weekend was busy but I would not have missed it for the world. Not only did we get to have our whole family together to celebrate what Ryan is a part of here in the mid west but my niece and her boyfriend from Seattle were able to join us. The Bay has also started an outreach ministry called Skate for Change. I have talked about it before here and then again here. Skate for Change is a local group of skateboarders who skate around the inner-city and metro areas with backpacks handing out food, water, socks, toothpaste, etc. to the homeless and less fortunate in the area. Jo Ellen and Jeremy are the founders of the Skate for Change in Seattle.
Red Bull is a sponsor of The Bay and Skate for Change and they were out in full force with camera crews and one of their skater athletes, Ryan Sheckler. Ryan Sheckler is a big name in the skating world and he definitely brought in the crowd and helped make The Bay opening a huge success.
Here is a video of Mike Smith telling about how and why The Bay and Skate for Change got started. It really is worth the look.
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