Nonprofit gives Maui keiki ‘golden ticket’ to exercise
Access to surf and skate equipment key to relationships
by Savy Janssen
Photo by Orion Owens
One of the attractions of living on Maui is the proximity to amazing year-round ocean sports.
When last August’s horrific wildfires left many families without their beloved surf equipment, Brit Oliphant did not wait around. The Kula Elementary School teacher and founder of the nonprofit, Boards 4 Buddies, rounded up hundreds of boards, clothing and other supplies from professional surfers and skateboarders, top-name brands, the island community and beyond.
It’s what she does.
Since founding Boards 4 Buddies – a 501(c)(3) organization that connects deserving youth with pre-loved surf and skate equipment and safety gear – in 2021, Oliphant and her B4B ‘ohana have distributed more than 600 boards to island keiki.
Her unique position as both teacher and passionate surfer-skater allows Oliphant to identify kids in need and pair them with boards, beginning with one particular fourth-grader she bonded with over skateboarding. The student, clearly fascinated by the sport, did not own a skateboard nor could his family afford to purchase one, which deeply impacted Oliphant.
“Growing up, if I wanted to try a sport, I had the support of my parents who could afford to get me the gear,” she said. “The lack of access that I saw in the public school system was so surprising to me, and it immediately became something I wanted to help solve.”
She shared her thoughts with friend and professional skateboarder Zach Miller, who offered to get Oliphant’s student the necessary gear, and Boards 4 Buddies was born.
Today, Miller is a core part of the B4B team, along with board-shaper Nic Hibdige. Pros Matt Meola, Paige Alms, Shea Donavan, Ian Gentil, Jesse Richman, Albee Layer, Tony Hawk and Jimmy Wilkins are additional “big buddies” of note joining the Boards 4 Buddies cause.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of outdoor activities, Oliphant cites other positives associated with board sports she’s observed while balancing full-time teaching with running a nonprofit.
As a mode of transportation, a skateboard provides access to the wider skating community – which often gets a bad rap, Oliphant suggested. “But if you go to the parks, it’s 9- to 90-year-olds and the most supportive group.”
Surfing and skating are both essentially free, Oliphant further noted. “There are no lift tickets, no league fees – once you have the board, you have the golden ticket.”
Moving forward with Boards 4 Buddies, Oliphant hopes to create an Upcountry youth center – a safe space with a mentorship component where kids can hang and maybe even learn a thing or two about fixing or building boards. “By forging lasting relationships, we hope to eliminate the ‘Santa Claus’ effect,” she said.
Most of all, Oliphant loves watching the results. “To see a kid on a board we gave them is incredible,” she said. “That’s when we know that what we are doing is making a difference.”
