Troy Skate Church members are pictured. Troy Skate Church was selected as the recipient of the May 2024 Give Where You Live (GWYL) grant.

Submitted photo | Give Where You Live

TROY — Troy Skate Church has been selected as the recipient of the May 2024 Give Where You Live (GWYL) grant.

“About two months ago, we at GWYL of Miami County, received an email from Sami Hagar inquiring about how Troy Skate Church could be considered for one of our grants. Jon and Sami Hagar lead this 501 (c)3 charity along with the help of Michael Burrows and Brandon Ike. We responded that any of our members can nominate a charity for a grant, or you can join as an organization and nominate yourself,” said a press release from GWYL.

GWYL is a unique giving circle, only members can nominate a charity for a grant, but once nominated, the charity can send a presenter to our in-person meeting to make one of three five-minute presentations to vie for a grant. As it turns out, a member nominated Troy Skate Church, and it was one of the three randomly selected charities to make their grant presentations.

On Thursday evening, May 9, Sami and Jon presented Troy Skate Church. GWYL also heard presentations from the New Creation Counseling Center and We Love Birthday Parties. After listening to the responses to some insightful questions about the presentations, GWYL members chose Troy Skate Church as the recipient of its May 2024 GWYL Grant.

Here is what Sami and Jon had to say about their presentation experience:

“We were so excited to be nominated to present to Give Where You Live of Miami County! There are so many wonderful nonprofits in our county and the other two presenting were both organizations that we know and love. This funding comes to us at a critical time of growth, and we are in awe of God’s goodness to continue to meet the needs of Troy Skate Church and the community that we serve. We love the simple, efficient way GWYL runs and really enjoyed presenting to the group and answering their questions as well as the opportunity to meet new people with hearts to give and grow their communities. The GWYL team was helpful and let us know how the presentations would go and what to expect. Thank you GWYL! Blessings, Sami Hagar”

Troy Skate Church is a 501c3 non-profit and non-denominational church, focused on outreach to the youth and young adults in our local skate community. They have no paid staff and are completely run by volunteers. Their team goes to the Joe Reardon Skate Park in Troy every Friday night, and they do a free dinner for the skate community. Troy Skate Church is a refuge that exists to reach the youth and young adults in our community with the love of Jesus regardless of gender, background, race, or religious affiliation. – they exist to see lives changed! They think of themselves like a misfit’s church, the outcast of the family. They do not fit into the “Christian box”; they are rough, messy, and not your standard Christians! They have a heart for skaters and just want to love people like Christ would have! They bring Jesus to “shred” it at the park every Friday night – “shred” (skateboarder slang meaning to ride with a high level of skill and style). Our GWYL grant will help fund the cost of building an indoor skate park.

To find out more about Troy Skate Church and how you can help, please visit its website at: https://troyskate.church/

To find out more about Give Where You Live of Miami County, please visit: https://givewhereyoulive.wixsite.com/miamicounty