Darian ‘DJ’ McFadden Turns Plymouth Meeting Skating Rink Into Mental Health Sanctuary

Viral skating star Darian "DJ" McFadden knows how to maneuver on his wheels.

He's busy rolling along on a newly opened Black-owned business pairing fun with mental health. The Cheltenham High School football team's offensive coordinator has opened his skating rink in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, Roll'n SK8, which he said is part skating rink, part mental health sanctuary.

McFadden, a former athlete, knows firsthand the experiences of dealing with mental health challenges after he suffered a hamstring injury during the NFL Draft.

"It got to a point where I was like, 'I don't know what to do with my life. And I'm at this point where I don't want to be here.' I was standing on top of a bridge," McFadden told Action News ABC 6 in an interview.

Instead of suicide, McFadden chose skating.

With his friend and co-owner DJ Preston, McFadden has created a safe place for children and teens to find community support, peace of mind, and a place for skating.

Roll'n SK8 offers open skating and skating lessons throughout the week at its location at the Plymouth Meeting Mall, 500 W. Germantown Pike.

In addition to operating Roll'n SK8, McFadden serves as the head coach for the Philly Phantomz women's tackle football team and is the founder and president of the N.O.W. Youth Foundation.

What in the world is "junk journaling"?

You may have seen this term floating around on social media. It sounds a bit ambiguous and maybe even crazy. So, I am here to tell you all about junk journaling. What it is, how to do it, and some ideas of what to include.

This is something I've recently picked up and I've found it's really been a great creative outlet. It is a no-pressure way to fill up a journal and express yourself. There is no writing required, although you can write a bit if you'd like. It's focused more on visuals, recycling, and a challenge to make something out of nothing.

It's an edgier way to scrapbook, essentially. Junk journals are messy on purpose, filled with things that inspire you personally. Or things you come across in day-to-day life.

It is fun to express yourself or your thoughts using bits and pieces from your life, AKA "junk", and a journal. Blank page intimidation no more! These journals are easy to fill with all kinds of things. Make it pretty or not. Just let your freak flag fly.

Junk journaling is the practice of using daily items or "junk" to fill a notebook or journal. You use recycled items such as paper or clippings from magazines, brochures, music sheets, envelopes, packaging, brown paper bags, maps, greeting cards, and postcards, to name a few. The book covers can be made from cereal boxes, old book covers, or any hard cardboard.

It's quite simple, actually. Get a notebook of your choosing, an adhesive of your choosing (such as glue or tape), and some scraps. To help a blank page not feel so overwhelming, use a big piece as a background. For example, if you look at the image above, I started a page using a large piece of a restaurant paper bag. I will then add over top of it with other small pieces of my day.

Here you can see a photo of my own personal junk journal. As you can see, it looks messy. That is on purpose! I used a candy wrapper, a note from a friend, and one of those plastic bags dentists give you with toothpaste and a toothbrush in them on this page. As you can see, nothing goes together, but it looks fun.

Think of junk journaling as collage-making or scrapbooking. Except, it doesn't have to look a certain way. It's a way to memorialize the day you lived without having to write about it. I can look back on this page and remember that on February 5, I got a note, ate some candy, and went to the dentist. See what I mean?