the DEN Community Skatepark

the DEN Community Group is made up primarily of parents in the area who are striving to provide an indoor active sports facility and recreation area for our community along with a team of volunteers and skaters who want to support the sport and lifestyle in our community.   As we struggled with coming up with activities in the winter for our family it became apparent that although there were plenty of options for preschool and grade school kids, there was a glaring absence of options for teens 13 and up.  Oswego at one time did have a YMCA with an open gym and a several active sports options through the winter but the YMCA left Oswego last year and left behind a gaping hole.  Our park district has few options for teenagers either and there is no open gym or public basketball gym available to kids in Oswego.  In order to keep our teenagers and ourselves active through the winter we are forced to sign up for pricey club sports teams or gyms or to drive them out to Aurora, Naperville and other surrounding areas.  As local business owners we thought that was unacceptable and wanted to come up with a way to keep our dollars local.

NOT SO FUN FACT:  Kids will spend about four times as much time playing video games and watching television during the winter without outdoor activities available to them.  Increased isolation causes detachment which can lead to social anxiety and depression, especially in teenagers.  
Our goal is to combat  isolation by bringing people together in a public community facility that encourages activity, involvement, support and CONNECTION.

The DEN Community Group is now a registered non-profit group with a 501c3 and able to apply for grant funding from local community agencies and local businesses.  Our goal is to not only run a skatepark but to provide the community with a gathering area, a student lounge and community meeting room so that other community groups can join us in providing local resources to kids and families.  Our relationships with the Oswego Lions Club, the Salvation Army, YoungLife, Hope for the Day and other community groups will allow us to provide support and resources at our location for our visitors on a regular basis.  

We are diligently looking for local support through sponsorships and donations in order to help with the build out and renovation costs which are close to $150k.

Please contact us directly for information about sponsorship and advertising at the skatepark.      
[email redacted]     www.skatetheden.com 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!