Heroes
Jul 28, 2021

GoPro for A Cause is proud to team up with Grind For Life to help share the organization's story. Please watch the video and read on to learn more about the incredible organization that started as a way to help financially support cancer patients and has now grown to include a Grind For Life skate contest series, which is an amateur contest and Olympic qualifier event.

The following words are by Grind For Life Executive Director Jill Gresko.

The mission of the Grind For Life organization is to provide financial assistance to cancer patients and their families when traveling long distances to doctors and hospitals. In addition, we inspire and educate people about cancer survival and recovery by sharing founder and pro-skateboarder Mike Rogers's story. Mike is a two time sarcoma cancer survivor who survived it as a preteen and again when it came back 25 years later. Mike has been cancer free for 17 years now.

Since 2007, GoPro has partnered with Grind For Life (GFL) and been a huge part of the GFL Series, which is an annual amateur skateboarding competition series comprised of 10 events at 10 different skateparks. In fact, two members of the current Olympic Skateboarding Team USA started out skating the GFL Series.

Before each event, Mike straps on a GoPro to capture the 'Course Preview' video so competitors have insight into what to expect. He shoots a few 'Scene Reports' throughout the day, too, for the social media viewers. And one of our favorite GoPro moments at the contest comes with the 'Clip of the Day,' where the winner wins a GoPro camera.

We are so thankful for GoPro's support, as they donated at least 100 GoPro Cameras (always the latest greatest model) for each competition, which all end with a raffle and grand prize of a brand new, ready-to-go GoPro Kit. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised through this partnership and 100 cancer patients have received travel assistance from GFL as a result of the GoPro raffle. It's like each GoPro has helped get a cancer patient where they need to go, making GoPro a true HERO to so many people. There are also 100 very happy raffle winners out there capturing and sharing what they love thanks to this partnership.

The GFL Series helps many people in many ways and Mike's claim is: 'Skateboarding at it's best!' People are helping people, kids are helping people, skateboarders are progressing and making friends while participating in a healthy lifestyle activity.

Fears are being conquered and goals are being achieved. It's serious competition with people who become your best friends. In 2021, we added the 'Adaptive' division to the GFL Series. Adaptive is a term coined by disabled athletes to replace the negative stigma behind handicapped. The Adaptive Division is open to any individual competing with a disability. The list of good stuff is never ending. Thank you GoPro for all your help and support in helping people with cancer and so many others who are along for the ride.

VisitKindhumans.com to purchase an exclusive Grind For Life T-shirt and support the cause. You can follow Grind For Life on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TouTube and the website GrindForLife.org.

Attachments

  • Original document
  • Permalink

Disclaimer

GoPro Inc. published this content on 28 July 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 28 July 2021 15:33:23 UTC.