Nowadays, the news seems so gloomy. Everything seems to be covering what’s going downhill with the world, and feel good stories often seem few and far between. So, to possibly make your day just a bit better, here’s a feel good story to warm your bones.

One of my favorite things about skiing is sharing the experience with others. Don’t get me wrong, I’m terrible at teaching skiing, but being able to push people to ski better and harder, taking someone down my favorite trail to see them love it, or showing someone a secret pow stash hidden among the trees is a huge part of what makes skiing so enjoyable.

Not everyone, however, is able to experience skiing or many other outdoor sports due to access and price.

4th teacher Brit Oliphant, who’s based out of Hawaii, grew up skiing, snowboarding, and surfing, in Bend, OR. In college, she found herself drawn to skateboarding. As a teacher, however, Oliphant came to the realization that though not everyone is able to experience the sports that she loves, there are many that could be deeply impacted by an introduction and helping hand into the activities.

That’s why Oliphant founded Boards4Buddies, an organization that looks to take used surfboards and skateboards and rehome them with underprivileged kids. Beginning with one of her own students who seemed so passionate about skateboarding, she, with the help of  boyfriend Nic Hibdige and professional skateboarder Zach Miller, has provided over 50 skateboards and snowboards to children throughout Hawaii.

The world certainly needs more efforts like this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s almost certainly more important to provide food, water, and shelter to those without, but providing the escape from reality that so much of us love to those who aren’t able to access it is incredibly important as well.

Next time you’re cleaning out your garage or taking a load to the dump, make sure to take a minute to look through your items and see if you could rehome any of the objects you’re planning to get rid of.

And, if you’ve got a skateboard, surfboard, snowboard, or set of skis that you never use laying around, maybe consider whether or not someone could really take advantage of those objects for their own good, rather than just letting them collect dust in the closet.

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