What began as a science project is now a fully functioning skatepark reality, thanks to the hard work of Chance Mohawk, Grant Finch and the Crystal Springs community. The young skateboarders created the idea of building a skate park several years ago as part of an environmental science project.
“Our hypothesis was that if we went in front of the city and presented our idea of what we wanted to do and how we planned to do it, they would say yes,” Mohawk told WLBT. “And what do you know? They did!”
After getting approval from the city, the pair faced their next challenge: Funding.
In November 2021, the Community Foundation for Mississippi supported the idea, giving a $5,000 grant from the Community Trust Fund to help the two get the project off the ground.
The two also learned of a grant through Petal skate park. Despite the application being well received, several necessary modifications to their application set them back a year. Yet, they were not deterred. The pair persevered by selling T-shirts to raise money and making necessary changes to their plans. Eventually, they successfully obtained a grant of $120,000, exceeding their initial expectations.
With funds secured, Chance and Grant enlisted the help of a renowned skate park designer from Philadelphia to bring their vision to life. Through their joint efforts, they won the bid to construct the skate park for the community. However, the ambitious young skateboarders are not stopping there. They have plans to further improve the skate park by incorporating additional features, such as a skate bowl, to enhance the overall experience for visitors.
“We want to expand and include more things,” Finch expressed to WLBT. “We want a bowl. That would be really awesome.”
Want to make more projects like this a reality? Donate to our Community Trust Fund, which supported this project and makes our competitive grant work in the community possible!