People Making A Difference: Skateboarder Builds Community, Supports Area Skaters

PASADENA (CBSLA) — When Andrew Mares was a kid, he spent his days skateboarding until his board was stolen and he couldn't get another one.

"When you don't have a board, you feel like you're left behind," he said.

Without that positive outlet, Mares said he fell into some bad habits.

"I fell into a different kind of lifestyle, and that's what I'm trying to prevent now from happening to the kids," he said.

Today, Mares and his son bond over the sport while building a brotherhood of skaters in Pasadena.

"Some of these kids escape whatever they're going through at home to come be at peace here," Mares said. "It's like a sanctuary."

For kids without boards, Mares was able to piecemeal some makeshift boards so nobody had to sit out.

"I really do think that if someone did this to my dad when his boards got stolen, then he probably would have been one of the best," Ryan, Mares' son, said. "And it would have changed his life forever."

When people began to donate to him via his Instagram account, he started his first-ever nonprofit organization, the Younglo Skate Project, in March of this year.

"We've bought 65 skateboards and passed them out to 56 children," Mares said.

But beyond skateboards, Mares makes sure that the kids he works with are fueled with snacks.

"These kids are like my children," Mares said. "They're all my little nephews and cousins out here, you know, and I worry about them."

Mares hopes that his work with area youths will encourage them to pay it forward.

"We want to make ripple effects everywhere we go," he said. "We want to leave big footprints to fill."

Since March, the Younglo Skate Project has raised more than 9,000 dollars — using the money to purchase boards and shoes. Mares said he hopes professional skateboarders will get involved with the project and help influence the kids to wear helmets.