It was an extraordinary feat entailing courage, strength, endurance and resilience.

On Friday,  De Roeck completed the Freedom Skatepark 500, a 500-mile challenge comprising 21 marathons in 21 days to raise funds for Freedom Skatepark’s youth programmes.

Michael De Roeck is a trustee of the Freedom Skatepark Foundation, and his fundraising campaign will help both the Skatepark community and its youths.

Michael De Roeck explained: “Freedom Skatepark is a safe space where kids build skills and confidence. This run will help

launch a nutrition program and fund a mini‑bus so staff can bring the Peace, Love, Edu‑Skate programme to more communities across the island.

“I have been running for many years and truly enjoy it, but I’ve never attempted anything like this before. I wanted to take on a significant challenge to show how meaningful this project is and encourage donations to support our youth programs. I’ve already logged thousands of miles in training to prepare for this”. 

Opened in 2020, Freedom Skatepark is Jamaica’s first and only free public street skatepark and a recognised centre for youth development. Through its partnership with Concrete Jungle Foundation, the organisation delivers the Edu-Skate curriculum alongside literacy support, homework tutoring, yoga, photography, coding, and youth mentorship. Freedom Skatepark’s programmes use skateboarding as a platform to build confidence, resilience, leadership and a love for learning.

They’ve rented more than 11,000 skateboards, highlighting the popularity of this growing activity, which is also now an Olympic sport.

The entire journey was documented daily by Tim Rockel, whose work has been featured by the BBC. His work with international non-profit organisations has highlighted stories of resilience and community impact around the world. The resulting feature documentary will capture the physical challenge of the feat while highlighting the young people, families and communities whose lives will benefit from the campaign.

“The support raised will directly fuel programs that keep youth engaged, learning, and safe,” said Blake Burnett, Project Manager, Freedom Skatepark Foundation. “This challenge showcases the resilience and community spirit at the heart of Freedom.”

The challenge got underway on August 7 at Freedom Skatepark in Bull Bay, De Roeck completed the endurance challenge with the goal of raising $70,000 to expand youth programmes that empower children and improve health, programme retention, and performance outcomes. Funds raised will directly support:

• The launch of a daily nutrition programme to provide healthy meals for young people participating in Freedom’s educational activities;
• The purchase of a dedicated mini-bus, allowing the Foundation to reach schools and underserved communities across Jamaica; and
• The expansion of the Foundation’s internationally recognised Peace, Love, Edu-Skate programme, bringing safe, structured youth development opportunities to more communities across the island.

How to Support

Supporters can help make every mile count by:

• Making a donation to the campaign;
• Sponsoring an individual marathon or stage of the run;
• Sharing the campaign across social media;
• Encouraging friends, family and colleagues to contribute; or
• Partnering with Freedom Skatepark Foundation as a corporate sponsor.

Every contribution will directly support programmes that provide young Jamaicans with safe spaces, nutritious meals, educational support, and opportunities to develop confidence, resilience and life skills.

For donations and campaign updates, visit GoFundMe or contact [email protected].