DeKalb dad to raise $5,000, plans to skateboard from Somonauk to Genoa

DeKALB – Ron Adamson of DeKalb is on a mission: To raise $5,000 and show the community that a skateboard is a viable – and fun – mode of transportation by riding 40 miles across DeKalb County.

Adamson, the founder and president of Pushing Together NFP, is raising $5,000 for the nonprofit organization. Founded in summer 2020, the organization provides high-quality gear, including skateboards and helmets, to youth in the area interested in skateboarding.

“[Pushing Together NFP’s] goal is to provide gear for all young people that want to take part in skateboarding and to provide a supportive and encouraging community,” Adamson said.

The DeKalb dad also volunteers as a skateboarding teacher every Saturday at Fargo Skateboarding in downtown DeKalb.

Adamson is raising $5,000 now through Thursday, May 5, which is Give DeKalb County, a 24-hour day of giving. For every $125 raised, Adamson will skateboard 1 mile.

He said he was inspired to create an organization to help DeKalb area youth fulfill their skateboarding passions because of the number of families in the area who struggle financially and might not be able to afford gear.

“They are left unfulfilled and unenriched,” he said. “We should support and encourage them if that is what they’re interested in.”

On May 7, Adamson will skateboard from downtown Somonauk to downtown Genoa, about 40 miles in total. His 12-year-old daughter Esther also has volunteered to skate, as well as Greg Roberts from Pardon My Thrashing Skateboard in Chicago.

“Skateboarding is a viable, affordable source of transportation,” Adamson said. “You can go 3 or 4 miles per hour walking and can double or triple that number easily when skateboarding. It’s a fun form of exercise. You can go anywhere.”

The money raised will be used to purchase skateboarding gear for children. Pushing Together NFP also will launch a filming program this summer and will provide children with fisheye lenses for the program.