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Skateboards For Cuba Heads To Havana

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A small group of avid skateboarders has once again hopped a flight to Havana to share their love of four wheeling down city streets and sidewalks.

Twenty seven year old Daniel Abril, who heads a small charitable organization called Skateboards for Cuba, and several other members of the group left from Miami Sunday morning bound for Cuba to deliver 50 skateboards. This is the second year Abril has made the trip.

Abril and his brother Joshua became interested in spreading their love for skateboarding to the youth in Cuba last May when the were in Havana working on a TV pilot called Couch Surfing World, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. While there they noticed there were no skateboard shops and the kids who had them were using makeshift boards held together by nails.

"After visiting Cuba, we have noticed that the skateboarding culture is flourishing in Cuba. However, due to an economy in shambles, and political restrictions, it is nearly impossible for people to attain new skateboards," said Abril.

So in December 2010 the Abrils, along with Nick Katz and Stephen Kough, went back to Cuba and dropped off dozens of new boards.

Over the course of the year, the Coconut Grove based Skateboards for Cuba collected donated skateboards, wheels and other gear. During this year's trip, the Abrils plan to team up with the skaters on the island and hold a skate competition where the kids can compete for a number of prizes.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.  CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)

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