It was just over 90 degrees in Los Angeles, but that didn’t stop the throngs from coming out to celebrate the 10th Annual Tony Hawk's Stand Up For Skateparks Benefit Presented by SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Saturday at the Green Acres Estate in Beverly Hills.
Heating up the day was the Vert Demo, where a crowd of 1,000 watched in awe as action-sports luminaries Tony Hawk, Andy Macdonald, Tom Schaar, Elliot Sloan, Kevin Staab, Mitchie Brusco, Lizzie Armanto, and BMXer Coco Zurita performed an X Games-style demo on Tony’s personal ramp! The excitement of the Vert Demo was followed by a sizzling live musical performance by Grammy nominee Modest Mouse.
Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks is a family-friendly event, which began in 2004 with a mission to raise funds to help empower at-risk youth through the creation of free, quality public skateparks in low-income communities across the U.S. In the past decade, the Tony Hawk Foundation has helped fund 537 skateparks in all 50 states, and provided technical assistance to over 2,000 community-skatepark projects throughout the world.
This year’s action-packed, star-studded event was attended by some of the most recognized names in entertainment and action sports. Attendees included Tony Alva, Chris Cole, Maximillion Cooper, Fred Durst, Rob Dyrdek, Jason Ellis, Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla, Perry and Etty Farrell, Jon Favreau, Colin Ford, Willie Garson, Brian Austin Green, Ben Harper, Corbin Harris, Mat Hoffman, Olivia Holt, Nyjah Huston, Eve Jihan, Jason Lee, Chuck Liddell, Chris and Kyle Massey, Modest Mouse, Rodney Mullen, Lauren Potter, Michael Rapaport, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mike Vallely, Bill Walton, and Stevie Williams.
With a decade of successful events under its belt, this year’s Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks raised $860,000, including $20,000 to help complete a skatepark in Detroit, Michigan.
“Ten years ago, we started Stand Up For Skateparks in a bowling alley for an event that was attended by a few hundred people and was mostly met with curiosity,” said Tony Hawk. “Today, I am honored and humbled to see how the event has grown. It has become a staple for top-notch sponsors, celebrities, and athletes who support the Foundation’s mission to provide free, quality skateparks in low-income communities. Their support brings awareness to the need for positive outlets for kids in these communities, and it truly makes a difference. I am beyond grateful.”
In addition to the awe-inspiring Vert Demo and rocking musical performances, the family-friendly event included interactive games for kids of all ages, delectable food, and a live and silent auction that featured two unique high-performance luxury vehicles, as well as a wide variety of other unique items and experiences: custom 1972 Triumph Bonneville chopper; custom 2014 Lexus IS 250 F SPORT designed by Tony Hawk, Lexus and DUB; personal Los Angeles Lakers experience hosted by basketball great Bill Walton; Mammoth Mountain Blackcard Package; Private Luxury Yacht Experience; a Jam session with Metallica Bassist Robert Trujillo; one-of-a-kind vacations packages to Cabo San Lucas and Costa Rica; and more.
The 10th Annual Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks benefit was made successful through the generosity and support of SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Kohl’s, Starkey Hearing Foundation, Activision, Bravo Sports, Clif Kid, Dynacraft, HEXbug, Lexus, Nixon, olloclip, SIGG, Sweetwater, The Yucaipa Companies, and RIDE Channel.
The event was Co-Chaired by Tony Hawk and award-winning actor, director and screenwriter, Jon Favreau. Other Benefit Committee members include Ron Burkle, Chantal and Stephen J. Cloobeck, Patrick Dempsey, Fred Durst, Leeza Gibbons, Bobby Kotick, Jason Lee, Tommy Lee, Chuck Liddell, Howie Mandel, Rodney Mullen, Sam Nazarian, Lyn-Z and Travis Pastrana, Christian Slater, Steve Van Doren, Mark Wahlberg, Lori and Bill Walton, Shaun White, and DJ-Z-Trip.
