Since 1999, Steve Wolfe has orchestrated the setup of skateboard parks for young people to come to learn to skate, teach others to skate, and to create community happenings that bring people together to connect in a positive way. In the beginning you would find him and the crowds who came (to skate, to smash cars, eat food, make art, or love those who showed up) in parking lots in suburban NJ. Now, twenty years later he is still doing "Solid" skatepark, but this time within a dedicated interior space in an old silk factory in Paterson, NJ. This interior space not only avoids the vulnerability of New Jersey weather, but also now offers the opportunity to do daily events. Solid continues to host free skate sessions for kids to drop in on the halfpipe, ollie over a lawn chair, teach, and/or just hang out with each other, but this space has also given life to Steve's vision to truly become a community center for local youth. They offer free workshops like resume building and "interviewing for a job" skills, a design class that teaches graphic design from the mindset and angle of the skate world, and more. Steve, his nonprofit organization, and the crew he has pulled together's vision just continues to build... We discuss it all from the evolution of his Christian faith that motivated him to begin outreaching to others, not falling into other people's version of how to do what you feel called to do, how love rather than fear should be your guide, and to now building a place to support youth and positive community in the city of Paterson, NJ.
