One year after the tragic death of Josh Evin, his family and friends are in the midst of launching the charity he always wanted to start.
Sk8 Shoes 4 Kids is a non-profit society headed by Josh’s brother Justin. The purpose is to provide kids with the equipment to skateboard.
“It was a dream of Josh’s before he passed away,” Justin said. In lieu of flowers at Josh’s funeral, donations were accepted to start the charity. Shortly after, Element held a memorial evening where over $3,000 was raised for Sk8 Shoes 4 Kids.
“Bottom line is he would’ve wanted to see the money go towards kids,” said Trevor Frame, Josh’s friend and one of the organizers of the charity.
However, it was a rough year for the family and friends. Justin said with the one-year anniversary passed, they can begin to focus on Josh’s legacy through Sk8 Shoes.
“Josh never told us how to structure it, but we’re doing it how we think he would’ve wanted it,” Justin said.
With word spreading, companies have already donated decks and trucks to give out, and Justin is teaming up with FreedomQuest to make sure kids who want to skateboard can through the charity.
“We’ll be finding some avenues on how to get these out to the kids,” he said.
The team is hoping to distribute the first round of equipment in Castlegar in mid-August, just in time for back to school.
“We want to start in the Kootenays because Josh was ‘Kootz Rootz,’” Justin said. “I think keeping 100 per cent at home is the only way we’ll survive in the bigger world.”
Eventually, they’d like to spread the charity to all the places Josh visited as a professional skateboarder to give back to those communities as well, starting with all over B.C., but spreading to other countries too.
Frame recalled how Josh even skateboarded along the Great Wall of China. The team agreed it would be great to take the charity that far.
Through research, the only similar charity Frame found was the Rob Dyrdek Foundation, run by Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder in the U.S. However, since he’s down south, the team believes if anything, the charities may eventually support each other.
Already, the community has provided overwhelming support, Justin said. Through “too many to list” local sponsors, the charity is well on its way to helping a great number of kids.
Donation boxes are now set up at Black Russian Skate and Apparel, HTR Designs, the Lion’s Head Pub and Bell Mobility.
For larger donations, tax receipts are available.
Donations can also be made online through PayPal at htrdesigns.com and through Heritage Credit Union under the “SK8SHOES4KIDS SOCIETY” account.
Two upcoming events are set to benefit Sk8 Shoes 4 Kids.
The first is Brohymn on June 30 at Element. Performers Batchlore, Django and Subvert will be playing with partial door proceeds are going to the charity.
This year’s memorial shirts will also be for sale that night. On Canada Day, an event called “Tron’s Head Bang” will start at 11 a.m. at the Lion’s Head Pub.
“Josh loved the Lion’s Head,” Justin said.
A skate jam and live music event, all proceeds will go to the charity. A four-foot mini ramp will be set up outside with live music playing. There will be free limo rides home and memorial specials. Tickets are $20 and there are no minors allowed.
For more information look up Sk8 Shoes 4 Kids on Facebook and Twitter.
Justin said Sk8 Shoes 4 Kids is impacting everyone in another unexpected positive way, as well.
“It’s keeping his close friends and family tight,” he said. “Like Josh said, the sky’s the limit and I really think that’s how this foundation will work too.”