This story is by Gavin Evans, and was published on complex.com on Oct 26,2020. You can view the original HERE.
As part of a partnership with the skateboarding company DGK, as well as the youth development program the Chill Foundation, Virgil Abloh (and those companies, obviously) are providing custom skateboards, skating lessons, and protective equipment to children who are members of select Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
According to a press release, 25 custom DGK boards and sets of protective gear have been provided for free usage at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Club and the Louis L. Valentine Club. As for the role being played by the Chill Foundation, they’ll provide free outdoor courses for groups comprised of members between the ages of 10 and 18.
This program is set to launch on November 12.
Abloh and DGK’s founder, Stevie Williams, first joined up with a limited run of boards that donated proceeds to Saved by Skateboarding.
DGK was started by Williams back in 2002 to give opportunities to potential skaters from less advantaged backgrounds. Similarly, the Chill Foundation defines itself as “a positive youth development program that inspires youth to overcome challenges through boardsports.”
As for Abloh, note that the Off-White CEO is an alum of the Boys & Girls Club, and that this donation was motivated by a professed desire to “ensure youth in underserved local communities can experience [the] fast growing sport” of skateboarding.
