NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
The House of Ride Nature (Photo via Emily Ford/WINK) A little gray house on Second Street near downtown Fort Myers has more going on than what meets the eye. The House of Ride Nature —a religious and mission organization that focuses on action sports— provides free skateboards and surfboards to children in impoverished countries. Mark Koch, executive director, said a part of the House of Ride Nature’s ethos is essentially “becoming one with nature,” through surfing, skateboarding, or participating in other activities. The original organization, Ride Nature, started in 2009, but it has since evolved into the House of Ride Nature with its location at 2464 Second St. For barista Mikey Frenchko, the House of Ride Nature was a welcoming place where he could make connections. “So it’s a family,” Frenchko said. “It’s a place to come and just hang out.” Koch said he eventually hopes the organization will “forge the four corners” to allow other branches to be able to delegate help for more specific areas. He envisions franchising the organizations so it has outposts worldwide that can help people in specific locations. ‘They’ve never owned a board’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ride Nature (@ridenature) The group’s mission helps to satisfy a need for people who express interest in action sports, but don’t really have the opportunity to, Koch said. “I mean we go into countries all the time where kids watch tourists come in and surf and skate, but they’ve never owned a board their whole life,” Koch said. The organization has led 52 mission trips in 27 countries, and have distributed 1,530 boards, according to the website. Corporate sponsors and campaigns such as “buy one give one” allow the organization to provide boards to kids. Neil Schneider, director of Wake and Surf, shared how some children who receive a skateboard or surfboard cannot fathom having something worth approximately $1,000. Schneider said on trips, after the kids receive the boards, attendees also teach the kids tricks if they’re interested. He added the age range of people receiving the boards varies from kids to young adults. Koch acknowledged the outreach given on these mission trips is somewhat nontraditional, but praised other organizations working to provide people in developing countries with basic human needs such as food, water and supplies. “I would say like a lot of what we do is very niche,” Koch said. Why action sports? View this post on Instagram A post shared by The House of Ride Nature Fort Myers (@thehouseofridenaturefortmyers) For Koch, a fundamental portion of the House of Ride Nature deals with mentorship. Most traditional sports involve a team, but action sports are mostly done alone. Koch said part of the original thought process behind making mentorship an integral part of the organization was to fill a hole in the action sports community. “The kids who are skating are doing that because they didn’t have anyone doing any of that with them,” Koch said. Fostering these relationships at the skate parks here in Southwest Florida allows an opportunity to mix different ages and demographics, Foster said. “You don’t see that playing basketball and like other traditional sports,” Koch said. In the action sports industry, Koch added if the skateboarders and surfers are participating in unsavory activities, “it’s almost glorified.” “There’s not, the mentorship within the skateboard community is far from positive,” Koch said. Fostering relationships and mentorship roles is an important pillar within The House of Ride Nature. “Setting an example of what it’s like to be a good father and a husband, friend to someone,” Koch said. Koch stressed the importance of positivity and encouragement. “I’m a firm believer that it’s like the words that you say to someone; there’s no such thing as a neutral word to someone,” Koch said. Outreach in SWFL View this post on Instagram A post shared by The House of Ride Nature Fort Myers (@thehouseofridenaturefortmyers) Another facet of the House of Ride Nature includes merchandise. The shop sells a variety of products ranging from coffee to apparel to equipment. While not everything is local, Koch said proceeds from sales support the nonprofit organization. “Our hope is everything has a story,” Koch said. “So the idea that what we’re selling is purposeful or supports something.” House of Ride Nature also holds community outreach events here in Southwest Florida including barbecues and cable park outings. They’re also holding bible studies at skate parks in Lehigh Acres, Naples and Cape Coral each week. For more information on House of Ride Nature, visit the organization’s website.