PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Cohen Thompson has basically walked on wheels since he was 4 years old.
“Skating has always been a great pastime for me,” he said. “It kept me off the streets.”
The 33-year-old West Philly native co-founded Skate University, a nonprofit that uses roller-skating to teach youth about teamwork, leadership, fitness and confidence.
The effort started more than a decade ago, giving kids in Philadelphia an outlet.
“A lot of these kids, they want to be kids, but they don’t know how to be,” he said. This past year was one of the deadliest for Philadelphia, reaching nearly 500 homicides. “Do you know how many people know somebody that got killed? And do you know how many people can’t talk about or don’t know how to talk about it?”
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Thompson can relate. He spent time bouncing around foster homes in Camden while his mother battled addiction. She eventually got clean — and stayed clean for 30 years.
His family, originally from the Bahamas, taught him how to skate, and he used the hobby to help process that painful time.
“God put me through these trials and tribulations so that it could help me with the work I do now,” he said.
After working with the Sixers Dunk Squad and spending some time playing basketball abroad, Thompson got a job as a surgical technician. With encouragement from his surgical team, he decided to expand his role.
He spent years in school and is now a surgical physician assistant, specializing in plastic surgery.
“They saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself,” he said.
To pay his good fortune forward, Thompson expanded the reach of Skate University. He used his own money to transform a portion of Granahan Playground at 65th and Callowhill streets into an outdoor skating rink.
“I went all the way to West Virginia, bought 100 pairs of skates so kids wouldn’t have to pay for anything,” Thompson recalled. “If I have it, I’m going to give it to you, and I don’t want nothing back.”
Skate University hosted a Skate n Chew in May, bringing in local vendors, DJs and community partners. Kids and parents showed up for a cross-generational day of fun.
The events kept going all summer long. Skate University partnered with police, art organizations and others, like 2020 GameChanger honoree Arnett Woodall, who helped feed hundreds.
“The blessing is that we don’t see,” Thompson explained. “The kids go home and they’re talking to their parents about skating and they’re talking about other stuff. It brings people together.”
Thompson’s work received recognition from Philadelphia City Council, including Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilmember Curtis Jones. When he pitched the idea of renovating Granahan into a full-blown skatepark, Jones bought in, and the effort received a $750,000 grant.
When the weather warms up, kids will be able to take full advantage of the new park.
“Everybody can come, have a good time, whether you roller-skate, you skateboard, you paint, whether you vend and sell food,” Thompson added.
He’s proud that the site supports kids with disabilities and other sensitivities, too. But he has even bigger dreams. A big proponent of STEM education, Thompson wants to start a trade school to train young people to work in the medical field. He’s also working to get 600 people CPR-certified.
Thompson is changing the game by helping people see their own potential and “showing people what they can be,” he said.
KYW Newsradio’s GameChangers honors 10 individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region. KYW community affairs reporter Cherri Gregg will host a virtual evening honoring this year’s awardees on Feb. 24.
For a full list of 2021 honorees, click here.