Kickflips for Santa

The hardest part about building a skateboard is the grip tape.

It's a large, square piece of rough, sanded paper that's carefully glued on top of the deck, the part that you stand on, without creating bubbles underneath.

Chadwick and Ethan Mitchell have mastered that art. In the last week, the father-son team built three boards to give away to children in need through Santas Anonymous program.

Skateboards for Santa was eight-year-old Ethan's idea. But his dad is helping with the parts that need some more strength. Tonight they're attaching the last screws to the wheels.

Chadwick says they'll finish the rest in the morning.

"I am getting tired," he says. "It's a lot of work."

Growing up, there were a few food bank Christmases and Christmas hampers in Chadwick's family. He says it made him realize what's really important – "not toys, not presents, but giving back."

Skateboards for Santa started from a family tradition. Every year, Chadwick and Ethan give to the food bank or another organization that helps people in the region, even if it's just $40, he says.

When he asked Ethan to choose an organization this year, his son picked Skateistan, an organization that works with displaced Afghan children through skateboarding. But why not also help people here, Chadwick suggested.

"And that's when Ethan came up with the 'Well, I'm really good at building skateboards, I'll build a skateboard and then I'll donate it,' " he says.

To help with the costs (one skateboard costs about $220), they created a Go Fund Me website where people can donate to the cause.

Ethan dreamed big. He wanted to raise $300, with some of the leftover money going to the organization in Afghanistan. Chadwick was more skeptical, expecting they would raise about $50 from grandparents and family.

Then the money started pouring in. In three days, Ethan had raised $300, going on $500 after five days and now they're at $661. Ethan giggles as his father recounts the story.

"We bought everything we needed. And then we built them," he says, grinning ear to ear.

"We were both shocked by the outpouring of support," adds Chadwick.

Ethan has since revised his strategy. The fundraiser was supposed to end Friday but they decided to keep it going for another week, until Dec. 12. Maybe, they can get enough money for a fourth skateboard, he says.

"Because it's a really nice sport, people can go to skateboard competitions, become a pro like Tony Hawk," he says. "He inspires me a lot!"

Growing close

The home of Chadwick and Ethan Mitchell is a mirror of their relationship.

The walls are filled with a wild collection of paintings, writing and photos of the boy. There's Ethan as a baby, crawling on the living room floor, and one more recent photo with his dad, both grinning at the camera.

The bond is visible even as you watch them put together their boards.

While Chadwick inspects a wheel, Ethan tries out the finished boards on the floor, rolling them or tipping them up. When he's asked to help, he jumps up on a chair so he can reach the board on the kitchen counter, their assembly line.

Then they both bend over bolts and screws, putting them in place.

Skateboards for Santa isn't the first project they've undertaken as a team.

When Ethan picked up taekwondo, his dad got into it a year later. Then Ethan started skateboarding this summer. After bugging his dad for months, Chadwick bought him a board, and brought one home for himself.

"We do a lot of things together. Me and Ethan have always been very close, we have a lot of the same interests," says Chadwick. "For me, it's as simple as 'Am I going to sit there and watch him skateboard or do it with him?' I want to have as much fun as he's having."

Ethan thinks it's "super awesome" that his dad shares his hobbies. They've become "skateboarding buddies."

He's now teaching his friend's younger brother how to skateboard. He's a caring kid, says Chadwick. He wanted to teach his son the importance of giving when he was young. But apparently that's not necessary, he laughs.

"I just like giving stuff," adds Ethan.

Skateboards for Santa may now become an annual project. Ethan wants to do it "all the time" and Chadwick suspects they may try to do five boards next year.

They'll probably start the fundraiser in November and see how it goes, he says. Until then, they have a few new tricks to learn over the summer. Ethan likes to skateboard fast but his father is in it for a quiet time.

"Everything clears out for that hour, I don't have to think about anything," he says. "It's just a nice quiet Zen time for me."