Skateboard
we could help people in Ukraine from our home, and Andrew came up with the idea to give skateboards to the kids because he loves to skate and it brings him a lot of joy.”
Andrew, who just completed his sophomore year at Long Beach's Poly High, looked at the photos of the families displaced by the conflict and it resonated with him, he said.
“Andrew decided that he wanted to do something for the uprooted teens,” his father, Matthew, said. “He recalled that when he was younger, his skateboard became his way to meet new people at a time when he was struggling.”
The family continued to discuss the idea. His mother said she was initially hesitant.
“This is a nice idea but not helpful,” Florence Simms said she told her son at first. “They need food and shelter.”
But skateboarding proved to be a tonic for Andrew when he was going through a difficult time, albeit not one as tragic as living through a war.
Andrew started skateboarding on his 13th birthday, when he was in seventh grade. When his freshman year at Poly started, there were no in-person classes — everything was online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was a depressing time,” Andrew said. “Skateboarding let me feel free and happy. My stress was reduced. It gave me a rush. I'd come home after skateboarding sweaty and feeling happy-tired, and I wanted to share that feeling with teenagers like me.”
His family, realizing what skateboarding did for Andrew, was soon all in on the idea. But there were challenges.
When they tried to arrange donations via a wellknown crowdfunding site, they were told their idea was illegal. The rejection email suggested they donate money to established charities instead. Later, they found a site that could legitimately accommodate their fundraising efforts.
“Andrew raised money for the skateboards using Fundly and direct solicitations to family and friends,” Matthew Simms said. “He named his project Sk8.4.Ukraine.” Andrew raised $1,700. Along the way, plans needed to change and adjust. But their focus was steadfast: Get skateboards in the hands of Ukrainian teenagers.
“We originally thought we would do it for those coming to America,” Florence Simms said, “but we ended up going to them close to the border of Poland and Ukraine.”
Rather than taking boards there from the U.S., they were able to buy them in Poland from a vendor that extended a 30% discount. The family created Long Beach stickers, with a palm tree and ocean waves, to go on each board.
Florence Simms networked on LinkedIn and became connected with friends of friends who provided local expertise and resources, including a warehouse near the border in Poland where Andrew could distribute the boards and teach the young refugees how to use them. She credited the new connections for getting the word out to displaced families, some living in crowded quarters.
“Andrew could not have done it without the support of many people who helped him and me organize this,” Florence Simms wrote on LinkedIn.
Florence Simms was already in Europe on business in mid-June, and after Andrew finished school finals, he traveled to meet her. It was the first time Andrew flew on his own. After enduring some seat assignment and customs hiccups on his solo journey, he greeted his mom at Warsaw's airport.
They were soon on an early morning train to Lublin, where the meet-up with the teenage refugees was planned. They were unsure if anyone would be at the warehouse when they arrived, Florence Simms said.
But the first teenager, Olec, was there at 10 a.m., excited to learn a new sport. Andrew started teaching him, then tutored the many boys and girls who joined in.
“Teaching someone is better than learning by yourself,” Andrew said. “You are building on one another's energy” and encouragement to not give up.
The warehouse continued to fill. So many people came that the Simmses needed to limit the boards to one per family.
Only a few of the kids spoke any English, but Andrew taught with his body motions, he said — and his new friends were quick studies.
“The kids were thrilled to get the skateboards, to meet Andrew and to have him teach them how to skate and even how to do ollies,” Matthew Simms said of a jumping maneuver. “Everyone made fast friends and connected on Instagram.”
After the mother-son duo arrived home, they were sent a photo of that first skateboarder, Olec, sleeping soundly on a makeshift bed while hugging his new skateboard.
Andrew said he feels tremendous gratitude to all of those who believed in his project and hopes to inspire others and build on what he started. To help, go to fundly.com/sk8-4ukraine-2-0-2.