Sacramento youth program members create skateboard program aimed at fentanyl awareness
SACRAMENTO - As communities across America continue to fight fentanyl, a group of youth in Sacramento has taken it upon themselves to do something about it.
There's only one rule: all the fun you want, just no fentanyl.
"This place is perfect, it's fentanyl-free, no drugs, no alcohol, no nothing," Caleb said.
Caleb helped come up with the program "Kick flips, not fentanyl," an escape for kids to keep them out of trouble.
"I've had people in the community, friends, or even people I've known who have been affected or died from fentanyl," Caleb said.
It all started when the organizers of Impact Sac, a youth program, decided to let their members come up with their own campaigns to benefit the community. They wanted to give them ownership of something. Some did murals while Caleb and his friends went with skateboarding.
"So when our students are engaged, they're the ones inviting their friends, they're the ones inviting other people," said Chris Bishop.
"They come in and they learn fentanyl facts, fentanyl awareness, they discuss, they watch videos, testimonies of people who lost loved ones to fentanyl," Paris Dye said.
Not only did their kids come up with the program, but got sponsors to help buy gear for a skate park at Liberty Towers Church, all in the hopes of keeping their friends away from fentanyl, something that kills over 150 people a day.
"And so the best way to visualize that is picturing a 747 jet crashing each day," Bishop said.
"We have two ramps, a little box. Skate. Learn with us. We'll teach you or you can just skate to have fun," Caleb said.
Fun instead of fentanyl, a simple concept, that can have a huge impact.
"A safe place to come and be where fentanyl isn't there, drugs aren't there, where they can have fun and have a safe place to be," Bishop said.
The group meets on Wednesday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Liberty Towers Church. Anyone is welcome.