About You Can Skate
Removing financial barriers so students aren’t left out and communities grow stronger
At You Can Skate, Inc., we believe a family’s financial situation should not determine whether a student can participate in school-based activities. When fees or equipment costs become a barrier, students often miss out on experiences that shape their middle and high school years.
That’s where we step in. By covering participation costs and providing essential support, we help students stay engaged, build confidence, and grow alongside their peers. At the same time, through family-centered events and community outreach, we bring neighbors together, raise awareness, and strengthen the communities our students belong to.
Because when students stay connected, communities grow stronger.
Mission
Our mission is to strengthen students and the communities they belong to by removing financial barriers to school-based participation and activating family-centered events that create connection, belonging, and local engagement.
Purpose
Our purpose is to ensure cost is never the reason a student is left on the sidelines. When students participate, they gain confidence, discipline, and connection. And when families gather through shared experiences, communities grow stronger. By stepping in where financial barriers exist, we keep students engaged and bring people together around opportunity and belonging.
Stronger Students. Stronger Families. Stronger Communities.
Our Story:
The Moments We Couldn’t Ignore
In 2024, Nakia Hussion founded You Can Skate after witnessing moments she could no longer overlook.
The Cleats on the Track: At a track meet, her son quietly lent his cleats to a teammate. He shared this with her later that evening. It wasn't because the student lacked talent or drive; it was because his family couldn’t afford the shoes. It was a simple, human moment that revealed a much larger gap: a student-athlete was being held back by a price tag.
The Empty Stomachs on the Field: Then came the football game. After traveling for hours, a player became ill on the field. The reason? He hadn’t eaten since lunch, over eight hours earlier. Pre-game meals were available, but only for families who could afford them. That night, students were competing in a physically demanding sport on empty stomachs, not returning home until 1:00 a.m.
The Reality of "Invisible" Barriers
These moments aren’t always dramatic on the surface, but their impact is life-changing.
Students sitting out
Borrowing equipment to participate
Going Hungry
Feeling invisible: not because they didn’t belong, but because cost quietly decided for them.
As a parent deeply involved in school athletics, Nakia saw the disconnect firsthand, not through statistics, but through real students and real consequences. Waiting for “the system” to fix it wasn’t an option for her.
“If you wait for things to happen, nothing will happen.”
That belief became the foundation of You Can Skate. We step in when cost becomes the obstacle, bridging the gap between opportunity and access so students can show up, participate fully, and move forward alongside their peers.
Building Momentum
You Can Skate is still in its early chapters, but the impact already feels meaningful.
In a short time, we’ve stepped in to support students who needed help staying connected to their school activities.
As we continue to grow, our focus is clear: reach more families, remove more barriers, and give more students the chance to show up, participate, and move forward with confidence and consistency.