03/16/2026
PRESS RELEASE -
TITLE – LUMBERTON SKATE PARK PROJECT DESIGN REVEAL
BY: ARROWS Youth Skate Ministry and FRIENDS OF THE SKATEPARKS FOUNDATION
ARROWS Youth Skate Ministry launches in February 2025 in Lumberton with one of its main goals of developing a public skatepark in partnership with the City of Lumberton and the Friends of the Skateparks Foundation. ARROWS believes that a well-built skatepark will greatly benefit the entire Lumberton community and help ARROWS in their efforts in mentoring youth and preventing substance abuse for many future generations to come!
July 2025 - Tim Taylor, Lumberton Parks and Recreation Director confirmed that a skatepark is in the current city-wide master plan for future development; however, no project details have been considered since funding has not been allocated. We decided to meet to discuss partnership terms, construction details, an estimated cost and a preferred location for skatepark so that we are all on the same page moving forward with the goal of getting the City Council approval.
November 2025, the city told us that they had possible sight in mind inside Pennington Park and asked ARROWS & FSF to come up with a design, construction details, and estimated cost for a 10,000 sq ft skatepark for that spot as a start. February 2026, ARROWS & FSF presented a completed 10,752 sq ft skatepark design complete with estimated cost of $537,600.00 and construction details. See Below
Next step, we hope to get the approval and commitment from the City of Lumberton. We have identified several possible grants we could apply for, and we are ready to get to work raising the funds needed to complete this project. June 2025, AAROWS and FSF met with the Lumberton Rotary Club - District 7730 Natalie Lewis asked Brad Townsend, coordinator of Lumberton skatepark project to be their speaker along with Terry Grimble from Friends of the Skatepark. After the presentation, the Rotary Club offered, if needed to help in our fundraising efforts. Other local Lumberton businesses have pledged their support and are willing to donate to the cause.
ARROWS & FSF developed this design based on extensive research done by local skaters in Lumberton, and several industry experts. This design checks all the boxes on the type of skatepark that will deliver the positive impacts of a well designed and built skatepark should.
Features;
1. Ledge / Manual Pad
2. Banked Hip / Pyramid
3. Flat Bar
4. Hubbas
5. A-Frame Ramp / A Frame Rail
6. Stair Set / Handrail
7. Mini Bowl
8. Step Up
9. Slappy Curb
10. Up Ledge
11. Flow
12. Lights
Concrete skateparks require very little maintenance over their expected life of at least 25 to 30 years, if not much longer.
DEMAND AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
• The youth of today are looking for opportunities to express themselves through sport. While traditional sports don’t give them that opportunity – urban sports on the other hand represent not only sport but also a way of life. A skate park is a central place for all these users to train and actively spend their free time. Due to the attractiveness of a quality skate park, free access, and location in an urban environment, it also attracts a wider audience and passers-by.
• There are many benefits of having a proper skatepark such as lowering crime rates, increasing tourism, and keeping kids and young adults’ active outdoors, which promotes good physical and mental health, and builds self-esteem. Having access to quality public skateparks improves the quality of life of a community by providing healthy alternatives for its youth.
• Skateboarding is the third most reported interest for high school students (24% of girls, and 17% of boys. (Aspen Institute National Student Survey Analysis 2021)
• The Skatepark Project formally known as the Tony Hawk Foundation has seen a 700% increase in skatepark project support requests from advocates and municipalities since the inclusion of Skateboarding and freestyle BMX in the Olympic Games.
• Skateparks are the fourth most used recreation space in terms of total weekly use hours. They were found to be more popular than sports fields, play areas, fitness zones, and dog parks when comparing the total weekly use hours. The First National Study on Neighborhood Parks – Implications of Physical Activity 2021
• Skateboarding is the third least expensive sport, out of 21 of the most popular sports, annual average spending on one child, behind only track and field and flag football.
Lumberton, North Carolina — ARROWS (A-R-R-O-W-S) is a faith-based nonprofit youth mentorship and prevention program dedicated to guiding young people in the Lumberton community through skateboarding, mentorship, and faith.
The vision for ARROWS comes from founder Allen Bradly Townsend’s own life experiences growing up in Lumberton.
“As a kid, skateboarding was something I loved,” Townsend said. “It helped me escape and gave me something positive to focus on. My backyard became a place where kids gathered to skate, build ramps, and hang out. We would go around town looking for places to skate, but we were often kicked out because there wasn’t a place designed for us.”
Like many young people without positive outlets, Townsend eventually fell into addiction. His journey led through substance abuse, incarceration, and eventually recovery. While rebuilding his life in California, he found faith in Jesus Christ and began dedicating his life to helping others.
After returning to North Carolina, Townsend committed himself to helping people struggling with addiction. He became a licensed Peer Support Specialist and a Registered Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor with the State of North Carolina, and now works in the recovery field helping individuals rebuild their lives.
Townsend also helped start the nonprofit Cause We Care, an organization that helps individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction by providing transportation and helping fund faith-based recovery programs. Through that work, many people in the community have been able to enter recovery and begin new lives.
However, Townsend believes that prevention is just as important as recovery.
“Working in recovery every day, I see the damage that drugs, alcohol, and violence can cause in people’s lives,” Townsend said. “A big part of ARROWS is prevention — reaching kids before they ever go down that path.”
ARROWS is designed to give young people a positive environment, strong mentorship, and meaningful activities that help steer them away from substance abuse, crime, and violence.
The program’s name is inspired by Psalm 127:4, which says:
"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth."
Just as arrows must be guided and directed toward a target, ARROWS aims to help guide youth toward purpose, faith, and positive life choices.
“I have a three-year-old son, and I want the kids growing up in Lumberton to have better opportunities and healthy outlets,” Townsend said.
ARROWS will operate as a faith-based youth prevention and mentorship program, using skateboarding as a bridge to connect with young people while providing guidance, life lessons, and positive role models.
The leadership team includes mentors who grew up in similar circumstances and want to help youth avoid the struggles they once faced.
Through skateboarding and mentorship, ARROWS will provide:
• Skateboarding lessons and mentorship
• Free skateboards and safety equipment for youth in need
• Peer support and faith-based guidance
• Mentorship from adults with lived recovery experience
• Camping trips and outdoor activities
• Trips to regional skate parks
• Surf trips and adventure outings
• Bible studies and youth events
• One-on-one mentoring and supportive conversations
Townsend believes that building relationships with youth early can make a lasting difference.
“Sometimes kids just need someone to talk to, someone who understands where they’re coming from,” he said. “My life experience, my recovery, and my work as a peer support specialist allows me to connect with people in a real way. If we can reach kids early, we can help prevent a lot of the pain that addiction and violence cause later in life.”
Over the past two years, the effort has already begun making an impact.
Through donations and community support, more than 50 skateboards have already been given to youth in the community, helping provide opportunities for kids who otherwise could not afford the equipment.
In addition to mentorship and prevention work, ARROWS is working toward a larger goal — building a public skatepark in Lumberton.
The organization is partnered with Friends of the Skatepark Foundation, a nonprofit that helps communities develop skate parks the best possible skateparks for the budgets and communities.
Early concept drawings have already been completed, and discussions have begun with Lumberton Parks and Recreation.
The next phase of the project is to get the approval and commitment from the City of Lumberton and then we will focus on securing funding and writing grants to help bring the skate park to life.
ARROWS is currently seeking local businesses, community leaders, and supporters who want to invest in the youth of Lumberton and help create a safe place for young people to gather.
“Not every kid plays baseball, and not every kid likes soccer,” Townsend said. “But some kids skateboard. A skate park creates community. It gives kids somewhere to go and something positive to be part of.”
Supporters can follow the project and stay involved through:
Facebook: Lumberton Skate Park Project
Instagram: .4
Donations can be made through Cash App at:
$arrows1274
All donations go directly toward supporting youth in the community by providing skateboards, safety equipment, mentorship opportunities, and future skate park development.
“Skateboarding helped me when I was young,” Townsend said. “Now I want to use it to help guide kids toward something better — toward faith, purpose, and a positive future.”
