JD Danielson, founder of Cross-eyed Skates a Christian skate group, hopes to one-day defeat the stereotype of skaters.

Cross-eyed Skates was started to change reputation of skate boarding in McKinney.

“I’ve done poverty ministries on east McKinney for years and eventually stepped down from a ministry I was leading and wanted to continue to help the kids on the east side,” JD said. “One day I asked a couple of them to go skate boarding and that’s kind of how it was started.”

A goal the skate group had made was to evolve the way the community looked at skate boarders.

“Skateboarders often have a bad name or a bad reputation,” JD said. “So its kind of a black eye to society. Kids make themselves more respectful, so it’s going to shed more positive light on a sport we love so much.”

Cross-eyed helps with the homeless in South Dallas around thanksgiving time.

“The week after Thanksgiving we’re going to be doing a ‘Feed the Homeless’ skate jam down at Overground in south Dallas,” JD said. “We go and skate the day before the event, and we’re going to make a lot of sandwiches and hand them out to the homeless down near I30 in Dallas.”

They meet up almost every Sunday at the McKinney Skate Park, from 3-6pm.

“We invite people to come out and hang out with us,” JD said. “When people see the shirts and see us getting together and gathering and talking about uplifting each other and how to live right, they come and ask about joining us.”

Every time the group meets, they have a break from skating and speak about the bible.

“It’s about a 15-20 minute devotion,” JD said. “We pick a story out of the bible talk about it and see how it will relate to our life. It’s usually to encourage and build up people who are just trying to live a better life.”

JD sponsors kids who truly appreciate the group and make lives better for others around them.

“It’s the skaters that are trying to do better,” JD said. “The guys who are trying to make a difference, the guys who we see making a change in their life. Being a good skater helps. We have competitions and go on trips.”

The team has mottos and phrases that they abide by.

“Our motto is really ‘we roll with Jesus’,” JD said. “In Matthew 19:26 which says ‘In God all things are possible’ ”

Changing the culture of skating is what JD is striving for.

“You don’t have to do drugs, or have to get involved in activities that are going to lead to trouble in and around school,” JD said. We try to encourage the kids to hang out with people that are better influences in their life, because we know that the skateboarding genre has a black eye in society because of addiction and some of the other things the kids face so that’s really our message.”