Trenton Sk8s Needs Your Help!
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What is Trenton Sk8s?
Trenton Sk8s, founded in April 2022, is a growing community of roller skaters based in Trenton, NJ, offering free public skate events, a variety of skate classes and workshops. We strive to be an inclusive, welcoming space for skaters of all levels to feel like they have a home away from home!
Who does Trenton Sk8s serve?
Being centrally located between NYC and Philadelphia, Trenton Sk8s draws in not just local skaters, but people all the way from Delaware, Maryland, Manhattan, Long Island, Poughkeepsie, Bethlehem, North NJ, lots of folks from around Philadelphia... even visits from skaters from Florida, Ohio, California and London. As our reach expands, we expect more and more attendees from near and far alike!
What are you raising money for?
As our community grows, we are presented with opportunities to serve in new and exciting ways. See below for a breakdown on what we will do with the money raised through this campaign!
Wait… We didn’t know Trenton had a roller rink!
Trenton doesn't have a rink.. But it did have a thriving rink until 1986. The building that once housed Capitol Roller Rink is now a car wash, with Trenton area skaters left with no option but to travel to rinks many cities away.
But deep within our capital city lies a magical pavilion. No, it’s not an actual roller rink... it’s just a park pavilion.
There’s a joke among skaters... wherever you find yourself, your first instinct is to assess the floor for skate-ability. The supermarket? The airport? Your office break room?
Just a quick glimpse of the polished cement floor of Cadwalader Park Pavilion, and you'll be reaching for your skates! This is more than just skateable. With a little imagination it’s a full on open air roller disco. Just hang some lights, add a DJ and invite the skaters. And that's exactly what we did!
When are your sessions?
From May through September, Trenton Sk8s hosts free adult skate sessions every Wednesday evening at the pavilion in Cadwalader Park. Our sessions run from 5:30pm to 8pm and feature a live DJ and potluck cookout. The events are for ages 18+ and all skaters must provide their own skates.
Do you offer classes?
Yes! Trenton Sk8s has been partnering with the non-profit currently running 120 E State Street, the old Presbyterian Church building in downtown Trenton. With hopes to fill the space with community programming, 120 E State kindly rented us their facility on Saturday nights for us to host weekly beginner roller skate classes, practice sessions and rhythm/dance skate workshops. All classes are for ages 14 and up and require students to provide their own skates.
For more info on our current classes, visit our Facebook group, Instagram page or email us using the link provided here on GoFundMe.
Do you have any programming for kids?
That's a big part of our fundraiser! Trenton Sk8s is hoping to raise enough funds to add monthly family skate sessions to our calendar. We are currently in talks with the City of Trenton on how we can collaborate on such events. As funding comes in, be on the lookout for announcements!
We would also love to expand our class offerings to include free or low cost skate classes specifically for Trenton area elementary and high school age kids. Not only would this serve the local population in positive ways, but getting local youth on wheels will keep roller skating alive in Trenton for years to come!
If we can generate consistent funding, we also have dreams to acquire a fleet of roller skates in youth sizes where families who participate in our programming can be gifted skates for their kids. Once outgrown, the skates could be returned and exchanged for larger sizes.
Am I too old to skate?
No! The beauty of roller skating is that it is not limited by age! It's not uncommon to see skaters in their 60s, 70s and even 80s on the skate floor. We have even seen skaters over 60 years old entering as total beginners, only to become quite skilled within a couple of years!
I don't have my own skates. Where can I get some?
Unfortunately skate shops don't exist like they used to! However there are many online vendors selling quality roller skates. With years of experience trying out different skate brands, these are the brands we recommend sticking with:
Beyond just skating
In addition to serving the skate community, we do not take lightly the role we're playing in bringing new life to the city of Trenton.
As our community of skaters has grown, more and more videos have circulated of our events and classes, drawing interest far and wide. Early on, in 2022 we had a visit from nj.com that landed us a feature story in The Star Ledger and The Times of Trenton (Link to article here ) with correlating documentary style YouTube video - This is the kind of positive press our state's capital needs, and we're proud to be a part of it!
Trenton Sk8s has also begun collaborating with the Trenton Eat Local initiative to plan non-skating related outings for members of our community. As we draw in more and more skaters and supporters from outside Trenton, we want our reach to have a positive impact on the local economy.
Why a GoFundMe?
The minimum operating cost for our spring/summer season of weekly adult skate events is roughly $2000. This ONLY covers the purchase of park permits and liability insurance. Thus far, all staff, including the DJs, are volunteers. In the past we’ve accepted donations at the events themselves, the funds collected just barely covering that $2000, leaving no money left to invest in other programming.
But we've got big dreams! And this is where you come in!
Trenton Sk8s is looking to raise a minimum of $7500
- This will provide coverage for the permits and insurance needed for our 2024 weekly spring/summer adult skate events
- It will give us the ability to offer a weekly stipend to our DJs
- It will provide the resources we need to continue our current weekly skate classes downtown through summer
- It will allow us to begin hosting free monthly family skate events at the Cadwalader Park from now until September, in collaboration with the City of Trenton.
If we surpass our goal we can work towards:
- Launching a youth skate program offering either free or low cost classes for both elementary and high school age kids
- Having a budget for small and incidental expenses like having better signage printed and the purchase of a quality bearing press for helping skaters change wheels.
- Having the necessary overhead to consider partnerships with the other organizations that have come to us asking us to collaborate
And finally, if we're able to generate a steady stream of funding we can:
- Acquire a fleet of loaner skates in youth sizes where families who participate in our programming can use skates until outgrown, and then exchange them for larger sizes
- Form a Trenton Sk8s outreach team to perform at schools, festivals, neighborhood block parties and more, introducing skating into the mainstream, and educating on its benefits for both physical and mental health
Are there other ways to support Trenton Sk8s?
Yes! We're always looking for folks who want to serve our community in the following ways:
- Donating cases of water or gatorade at our events
- Volunteers to help run the info/waiver table at events and classes
- Volunteers to help run the grill at our park events, and supply things like charcoal, lighter fluid and grill tools.
- Volunteers to design fliers and promotional materials
- Sponsoring of a specific event. For info on sponsorship opportunities, contact us!
- And one that everyone can do: Share our fliers and announcements with your friends and family both on and off social media!
Honestly, it's not hard to dream up ways for Trenton Sk8s to serve our expanding community, and we are beyond excited to make it happen! Thanks in advance to our skate family, friends, and supporters both locally and afar- We appreciate you more than you know and look forward to sharing all of the exciting things we have in the works!
You can find Trenton Sk8s on both Facebook and Instagram for up-to-date news on upcoming skate sessions, classes and more! And if our video inspired you to want to take up roller skating, you know where to find us!
Trenton Sk8s on Facebook:
Trenton Sk8s on Instagram:
Questions/Info:
Email us (see contact link), or write to us via Instagram DM.
See you on the skate floor!
Organizer
Trenton Sk8s
Organizer
Trenton, NJ