It’s the little things that go a long way. Many young individuals have amazing talents that go unrecognized. The summer of 2009 was when Project Green Skate decided to change this phenomenon. Our first project was Tate. This, beautiful, talented, caring, unique, and inspirational young girl is who made us look at the world a different way. She is the fuel to our fire. Now that we can see the world through her eyes, it is possible to travel and spread the word of giving from so many different angles. The reaction we get from children when given a skateboard is something that simply cannot be put into words. We do our best to make it possible to give opportunities to children that they thought they would never see. Not only do their eyes brighten with excitement and thrill; but their hearts are filled with warmth, passion and most importantly courage and strength. We live in an age where children’s strengths, creativity, and passions go unnoticed because we are too busy running in the rat race. We are here to change that by letting them express themselves through skateboarding, art, and pure love.
Taylor has always been a great kid with an amazing personality, a great sense of humor, and she is extremely smart. Since she could walk, her father and mother have kept her as active as possible. They have always wanted her to be able to have opportunities that they did not have.
Taylor started doing gymnastics at 15mths old. Her dad built her a balance beam in the back yard and from that point on he continued to do things like this. When she was 7 he got her a 4 wheeler and by the time she was 8 she was racing them. On her 6th birthday he bought her a skateboard. She would come home every weekend with a different scrape or bruise but she was determined to do it; as she is with everything. She and her father would spend hours outside; with him teaching her how to skateboard. He had a passion for it and instilled this in her.
On May 26 2008, Taylors 9th birthday, her father took her to animal kingdom, and dropped her off at home the next day, May 27th, told her he loved her and that the day before was the greatest day of his life! She agreed, they hugged, said I love you and he left. On Wednesday May 28th her mother had to tell her little girl that she wasn’t ever going to have the chance to do all of those things with her daddy again. A motorcycle accident took his life, and Taylor was devastated. From that day on she has continued to push herself to do all of the things her dad taught her, and refuses to give up. Taylor is an extraordinary girl with great talent in many different areas of life.
Project Green Skate chose to build Taylor our first ramp to help her fulfill the talents her father had instilled in her. And of course to put a smile back on that beautiful face of hers. Taylor is too young to be dealing with such grown up situations. But if we can help keep her spirits high, and talents growing just by building her a ramp, we would do it again without a second thought.
