Levi and Zach Cook, 10 and 12 years old, respectively, aren’t your typical skater kids.

They are the founders of Skatestrong, a group that hosts skateboarding events in order to raise funds to support children of parents with cancer. Skatestrong is part of the Livestrong Foundation, a cancer awareness and advocacy group started by their role model, Lance Armstrong. “Our dad’s a huge fan,” Levi explains. The boys were particularly inspired by the way Armstrong battled cancer. As a result, they decided to start an organization of their own, one which would allow them to turn their favorite sport into a way to help others.  

Skatestrong held its first competition last August, raising more than $3,000 dollars to send kids to Camp Kesem, a camp for children with a parent who has, or has had, cancer. And the boys have no plans to stop anytime soon. “Next year, we’re hoping to get a bigger sponsor, so we can do a series of contests in a bunch of different places,” Zach says. Their father, Chet Cook, has helped and supported them all along the way, and he is understandably thrilled with the boys’ success. “I’m extremely proud,” he says. “They have huge hearts – they’ve always been givers.”

For more about Levi and Zach Cook, and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Roseville, Granite Bay, Rocklin edition. Click on the Get Your Copy link on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations; click on the Subscribe link on this Web site to become a regular subscriber, or to order a copy of this issue or one of our back issues, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.