Fresno Skateboard Salvage is a not-for-profit organization that provides skateboards and skateboard accessories to underprivileged kids in the city of Fresno, CA. Our purpose is keep them from going down a destructive path in their young lives and to provide a positive outlet and family environment with other skaters.

“There are a thousand different ways kids can connect with the world; drugs, gangs, I mean, you name it, and I just want to help keep kids doing something positive.”

– Rodney

“I can’t make sure the kids are well fed or in a healthy home environment, but I CAN make sure that these kids can achieve their desire to skate … and give them a potential purpose in life.”

– Rodney

Rodney Rodriguez is an avid skateboarder who has been skateboarding for the past 30+ years. As a young man, Rodney found refuge from an unstable and often abusive family environment in skateboarding. Being from an impoverished childhood environment himself, Rodney found it difficult to afford new skateboards and often had to resort to finding damaged boards or stealing good boards to fuel this sport that he credits for not only saving his own life, but changing his world view for others. Rodney’s upbringing is a major influence as to how Fresno Skateboard Salvage was started and  his passion for this cause is daily fueled by his own connection with the kids he hands these boards out to. They remind him of his younger self.

Fresno Skateboard Salvage’s purpose is to pass this passion onto neighboring kids who were just like Rodney: kids who want to get involved in the skateboard scene, but can’t afford it. Fresno Skateboard Salvage allows them to pursue their passion of skateboarding.

How did Rodney derive the idea of Fresno Skateboard Salvage? With the advent of the skate park, it became common for people of various ages, economic backgrounds, and demographics to intermingle in a central environment and share a common love of a sport. With this environment, it is very common to find older skaters providing their extra accessories and boards to younger skaters who are in need of an upgrade. Rodney has essentially organized this process and now is keeping it consistent. The young people that Fresno Skateboard Salvage are benefiting are getting whole boards and not just pieces that they are unable to do anything with.

Rodney continues to skate today and can often be found at the local skate parks on Saturday and Sunday mornings battering his body for the sport he loves and handing out boards to kids in need.

There are several organizations doing a similar charity in other cities across America. What makes Fresno Skateboard Salvage unique is the approach taken to give out the boards and accessories. While Rodney is out every weekend skating in the local skate parks, he will notice or be alerted (by local skaters) to kids in need of a board or gear.  He will then run to his truck and pull out a pro-quality board for the child in need – right there on the spot.

Other organizations rarely profile the need of the child like Fresno Skateboard Salvage does. They just show up in a neighborhood and start randomly giving out boards. Many of these boards will not end up in the hands of a child wanting to pursue skateboarding on a serious level and possibly will never touch the surface of a skate park. Rodney is eliminating the mystery as to what happens with these boards and guaranteeing that ONLY kids in need that desire to skate will receive these boards. Period.

” The goal of Fresno Skateboard Salvage is to provide kids with top-quality boards, not department store boards, so if someone doesn’t know what to look for, they’re better off just giving us a donation so we can provide what the kids really need. “

-Rodney