SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

For the past 19 years, Serious JuJu has worked to ensure every child in Montana’s Flathead Valley has a safe, consistent indoor place to belong, build confidence, and grow.

What began as an indoor skatepark has evolved into a community-centered youth development organization providing mentorship, meals, structured programming, volunteer opportunities, and life-changing experiences for children and families in Northwest Montana.
 

Our community faces significant challenges including rising housing costs, food insecurity, social isolation, mental health needs, student homelessness, and limited access to affordable, year-round youth recreation and enrichment programs. Like many rural areas, these challenges are compounded by limited access to essential services.
 

Serious JuJu fills a critical gap by providing the only free, year-round indoor place where youth can gather safely, stay active, build friendships, and connect with peers and caring adults. We offer a positive and welcoming environment where children and adolescents feel supported, encouraged, and empowered to succeed.
 

Innovative programs cultivate a stronger, healthier future for our youth.
 

Through skateboarding and mentorship, Serious JuJu helps young people build confidence, resilience, leadership skills, and a strong sense of belonging.

COMMUNITY NEED

Serious JuJu is not simply a skatepark—it is a lifeline.
 

The Flathead Valley community lacks high-quality youth development opportunities, especially for young people from low-income families. These challenges are compounded by limited family support, a shortage of free athletic programs, and too few safe spaces where children can be seen, heard, and nourished.
 

In addition, rising housing and rental costs that continue to outpace local wages mean that children and families throughout the Flathead Valley face increasing barriers to stability and opportunity.
 

• More than 10,200 families are living below the Federal Poverty Level, including 2,500 children and adolescents.

• Food insecurity affects 10–14% of households, with higher rates among families with children and single-parent households.

• More than 24,000 residents are under the age of 18, creating a significant demand for youth-focused programs that foster resilience, belonging, positive relationships, and healthy activities.

• Social isolation and lack of safe indoor gathering spaces limit opportunities for young people to connect, build friendships, and engage in positive activities.

• Montana—and Flathead County in particular—has high rates of youth anxiety, depression, and teen suicide, along with a significant shortage of mental health providers and limited support resources.

Serious JuJu is the only free, year-round place where children can safely gather, receive mentorship, build friendships, access meals, and develop the confidence needed to overcome life's challenges.
 

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 
 

Serious JuJu is a community-centered youth development organization that responds directly to the critical needs of local families by providing a safe place where every child is welcomed, valued, and empowered to succeed.
 

Since 2007, we have served more than 21,000 youth and their families in the community. Recent program expansions now include 5–8 weekly skate sessions, coaching, and meal distribution, with an average attendance of 12–30 participants per session. 

Serious JuJu has also developed annual partnership opportunities with local nonprofit youth organizations—such as CASA for Kids, and the Center for Restorative Youth Justice (CRYJ)—to further our community impact.​​

2025 IMPACT:​​

• Community Members Served: 6,158

• Average Monthly Participants: 500

• Skate Sessions Hosted: 230+

• Volunteer Opportunities Fulfilled: 673

• Community Meals Provided: 4,683

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2025 FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

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EXPANDING OUR IMPACT IN 2026
 

Today, Serious JuJu is much more than a traditional indoor skatepark—it serves as a vital community resource for youth and families throughout the Flathead Valley.

As community needs continue to evolve, Serious JuJu is expanding its impact through skate camps, youth clinics, leadership development opportunities, mentorship initiatives, and specialized skill-building programs designed to meet the needs of local families.

In the first six months of 2026, we served more than 500 families living below the Federal Poverty Level, providing safe recreation, positive adult role models, mentorship, food assistance, and opportunities inaccessible due to financial barriers.

In response to growing mental health needs, Serious JuJu launched The Balance Project—Montana's first therapeutic skateboarding program—developed in partnership with licensed therapists for at-risk youth. By combining evidence-based therapeutic support with skateboarding, the program helps participants build confidence, emotional regulation skills, resilience, and healthy coping strategies.
 

We have also built collaborative partnerships and hosted workshops with community organizations such as CASA for Kids and the Center for Restorative Youth Justice (CRYJ) that broaden access to youth support services, advocacy, and restorative programming throughout our community.

Skateboarding fosters invaluable life skills and character traits, including awareness, respect, resilience, innovation, self-esteem, responsibility, and kindness. The transformative power of Serious JuJu lies in these key benefits.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

As we look ahead, Serious JuJu is focused on addressing critical gaps affecting youth and families throughout the Flathead Valley. We are seeking funding to:
 

• Secure $288,000 in funding to support two full years of operations and program stability.

• Expand into a larger skatepark facility to meet increasing community demand.

• Hire an additional full-time Skate Coach to support new and existing programs.

• Add a part-time Program Manager/Grant Writer.

• Expand our free programming of skate camps, clinics, and community workshops.

• Scale The Balance Project, our therapeutic skateboarding program developed with licensed therapists for at-risk youth, combining evidence-based support and skateboarding to build confidence, emotional regulation, resilience, and healthy coping strategies.

• Launch the Serious JuJu Skate Team, providing structured opportunities for youth not engaged in traditional team sports, with a focus on earned membership, character development, goal-setting, and personal growth.

• Develop the Serious JuJu K–5 Skate Club, an after-school program in partnership with local schools focused on physical activity, health, and well-being, supporting early social-emotional development through belonging, contribution, self-regulation, and focus in a supportive environment.

• Develop the Serious JuJu Skate Academy engaging teens—particularly young men—through action sports while integrating social-emotional learning to build emotional intelligence, resilience, and positive peer connection.

We are actively exploring opportunities to expand The Balance Project to serve diverse youth populations across Montana. Future initiatives include partnering with the Blackfeet Nation to offer two-day clinics, increasing access to therapeutic skateboarding and mental health support for Native youth.



WHY IT MATTERS

Every child deserves a place to belong.

For many children in the Flathead Valley, Serious JuJu is the difference between isolation and belonging, inactivity and purpose, discouragement and hope. Every day, we see young people overcome fear, build confidence, form healthy friendships, discover their strengths, and develop the resilience needed to navigate life's challenges.
 

With continued community support, Serious JuJu will remain a place where every child—regardless of income, housing status, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive.

Support for this work is more critical than ever.
 

Additional investment will help Serious JuJu continue serving as a vital community resource and remain a place where youth—regardless of income, background, or circumstance—can access mentorship, safe recreation, pathways for personal growth, meaningful relationships, stronger emotional well-being, and skills for lifelong success.