LAUNCH: Community Through Skateboarding is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization devoted to empowering individuals to better themselves and their community through skateboarding. We strive to provide an environment that fosters a culture of creativity and self-expression to skateboarders of all ages.
FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS
Andrew Weiss:Executive Director
LAUNCH founder Andy Weiss’s passion for skateboarding led him to open his own skateboard retail store in Fort Collins, CO in 1996. After helping to grow and support the local skateboard scene through The Market Skateshop for fifteen years, Andy is taking his commitment to the local skateboard community one step further. His devotion to skateboarding led him to envision a non-profit foundation dedicated to empowering skateboarders to benefit themselves and their community.
Allison Alter:Secretary
Allison Alter is a high school Visual Art teacher in Ft. Collins, CO. She has a BFA in Drawing from Colorado State University and a Masters Degree of Education from Lesley University. In addition to being an outspoken advocate for the the Arts in her community, she works tirelessly to inform others of the important roles that art education and creative thinking play in the lives of young people. Allison is excited to lend her support as a founding board member of LAUNCH.
Justin Hocking:Treasurer
Justin is the Executive Director of the Independent Publishing Resource Center–a nonprofit literary and publishing organization located in Portland, Oregon. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Colorado State University, where he also taught as an instructor of writing and literature. He is the author/editor of numerous zines and thirteen books, including Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End (Soft Skull Press 2004) and Beach 90th (Swift Season Press 2009). His writing has also appeared in Thrasher, Open City, the Portland Noir Anthology, Concrete Wave, Travel Oregon, The Normal School, Foulweather and others. It was over 25 years ago that he first stepped on a skateboard, and his life has never been the same. He’s proud to share his experience as a founding board member of Launch.
