On June 29th, 2009 Eduardo Gonzalez and Jay Ho were on an 11km skateboarding trek around Vancouver. They decided to form a skate team but one of do-gooders called The Refugees. They realized that this would leave others out so they changed the name to The Third World. As beginner skateboarders they gained new respect for the streets. They started to notice all of the garbage and filth that littered the streets. A community clean-up was organized at Hastings Elementary School on July 5th, 2009. A total of 16 volunteers came out for that event. They proceeded to clean up schools in East Vancouver every Sunday. They had a volunteer come from Surrey every week. As promised, they organized a clean-up in Surrey to show their gratitude and commitment not only to their community but the entire lower mainland. The Third World skate team was no longer just a skate team; it was now a community outreach group. A board of directors was chosen; Jay Ho, Eduardo Gonzalez, Binh Ho, Sinead Beynon and Kevin Tang. Getting out volunteers in the first few weeks was difficult but it helped that the majority of the volunteers worked together at the Pacific National Exhibition. Daryl Claudio, a friend and web designer/developer joined the team and created us this awesome website. Deo Cruz joined up as our photographer. Laura Mah, the founder of Knit Fit came to volunteer one week and regularly texts everyone on her phone to come help out. Many kids who volunteer also play volleyball for the Apex Club team, so naturally Apex became a part of The Third World.
This outreach group started with something as simple as the desire to form a skateboard team. It has now grown into a group with Board of Directors meetings every Tuesday night, Sunday morning clean ups and an ever growing group of dedicated volunteers. We want to give kids in the community every opportunity that we can possibly give them. If they want to learn guitar; we’ll teach them. If they want to learn basketball; we’ll teach them. We also want to help out families, immigrants and international students. We want to inspire individuals to make a difference. It’s encouraged to dream big, believe you can do it and inspire others around you to do the same. Just know that you are not alone, this is The Third World; a community where everyone is invited. We are here to help, we are here to inspire, and we are here to make a difference.
Jay Ho
the.third.world@hotmail.com
604-809-0694