COVID-19 UPDATE FROM NYC

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At HHF, the health and well-being of our staff, coach/mentors, and the youth we serve is our number one priority. As such, we have spent the past few weeks doing everything we can to thoughtfully and carefully respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are working to establish appropriate contingency plans.

We were gearing up to launch our 2020 programs and initiatives just as the situation began to rapidly unfold in NYC. We therefore made the following immediate changes:

• We postponed our Creative Tracks industry summit scheduled for Saturday, March 14th, as well as the Nike Lab Pilot Program, Rider Development Program, and Firstborn Creative Agency Internship; all of which were scheduled to launch in late-March.
• Our staff transitioned to working remotely starting the week of March 8th to ensure their safety and the safety of others.
• Our new cohort of 3 Legacy Program coach/mentors, who were slated to begin circulating in skateparks and shops around the city beginning March 15th, are now checking in on all the skaters who have participated in HHF programming over the last 2 years.
• We shifted the focus of our social media to providing information and resources related to the pandemic, and encouraging the NYC skate community to abide by all social distancing guidelines.
• We made the decision to postpone Harold Hunter Weekend, originally set for June 4-7th, and the annual HHF Bridgerun, originally slated for June 26th. Our hope is both events will happen this fall as they raise critical funds that support nearly 50% of our annual operations and programming budgets.

We have also taken proactive measures to continue supporting our community during this difficult and challenging time:

• We made a commitment to continue to pay and support our entire staff, all of whom have lost essential income from the secondary part-time employment that makes it possible for them to work with HHF.
• We launched a COVID-19 Resource Center and Mindfulness Practice on our website, along with a “Safety Tips” highlight category on our Instagram account to provide guidance and ongoing updates.
• We are currently developing a survey that will allow us to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the NYC skate community, and guide redistribution of 2020 program resources to address needs not met by city, state, and federal governments.

The suspension of our programs and postponement of events will have a huge impact on HHF as an organization and on the community we serve. At this crucial time of year, we are asking HHF community members to consider making a tax-deductible donation that will ensure we have the resources available to continue the impactful work we deliver year-round.

Thank you for your continued support. Please, take care of yourself and those around you, and always remain positive--we will prevail.

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