SK8 Jam for Sam returns for fourth year, raising funds for community hospice

The SK8 Jam for Sam fundraiser has thrived for three years after starting as a gathering of friends and family. Each year, the event raises more money to support local hospice care.

The fourth annual SK8 Jam for Sam is set to honour the life of Sam Beauchamp with skateboarding, live music, raffles and community connection, while raising funds for local hospice care.

Beauchamp died four years ago at 27 after being diagnosed with frontal lobe glioblastoma in his teens. His legacy lives on through the SK8 Jam for Sam fundraiser, an event that remembers him as someone who bridged two communities together with kindness and compassion.

“There's a stigma with skateboarding, there can be a disconnect between skateboarding and the greater community, Sam’s legacy is bringing them together. It was just pure inspiration for his existence that brought this to fruition,” said Alex Sparling, one of the organizers.

The event will take place at All Wheels Park in Stratford on Sept. 27 at noon.

“Skateboarding is sometimes seen as a stigmatized subculture, but you don’t have to skate to connect with the community,” said Sparling. “They’re an open, positive group of people who care deeply about those around them. It just takes one person to make a difference and change the way an entire subcommunity is seen by the greater community.”

Four years ago, the event started as a hangout with friends at All Wheels Park and has since evolved into a fundraiser with the blessing of Beauchamp’s mother. All proceeds are donated to Rotary Hospice Stratford Perth, where Beauchamp received end-of-life care.

Core organizers include Sparling, Darrin McCulloch, Nick Dunsmoor, Matt Bell, Alex Hunt and Brendon Whetham.

Last year, the event raised more than $3,000 for Stratford Rotary Hospice, and Sparling hopes to break $3,500 this year. The fundraiser has grown significantly since its debut, attracting supporters from outside the community. This year’s event will feature food by donation, live music, a raffle and T-shirts designed with Beauchamp’s artwork that he used to practice with sticker bombs.

“Sam always continued to do the things that he loved regardless of how the disease impacted him. He always found ways to be involved in the community,” said Sparling. “When Sam was faced with losing one of these things he loved to do the most, which was skateboarding, he just became the world's best cheerleader for his friends.”

“He exemplified perseverance and continued to stay positive during difficult times and set an example for everyone to always remain positive where everything seems negative.”