By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is donating $25,000 for a skating park near Atlanta's Beltline.

The Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark will be a 15,000-square-foot facility, according to the Tony Hawk Foundation. The historic community was chosen because of a lack of recreation space, the foundation said.

"We are proud and honored to support the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark project in Atlanta,” said Tony Hawk. “It represents everything we stand for at THF—community involvement that benefits at-risk youth in an area that traditionally has had very little support for sports like skateboarding."

Atlanta's grant is the largest of 19 awarded by the foundation this spring. Seven cities will receive $10,000 grants and the others have been awarded $5,000, according to the foundation.

Although he no longer skates competitively, Hawk continues to make a living from his lifelong hobby. He has authored a book, has owned a clothing line, and is the inspiration for video games.

The first skater to pull off a 900-degree spinning flip, Hawk, from San Diego, Calif., later created the Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam, a touring exposition of extreme sports.