SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Receives Two “Best Charity Event” Awards
Annual Charity Event Supporting Children with Special Needs and Education Proves to be the Best in the South Bay
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The SKECHERS Foundation announced today that the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has been recognized by two separate entities for its achievements over the past four years. The Walk has raised more than $1.9 million to provide programs for children with Autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disorders. The funds have also provided support for public education systems, affecting over 60,000 students.
Thousands of community members participate in the annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk (Photo: Business Wire)
Southbay magazine awarded the walk with “Best Charity Event” as part of their 2013 Locals’ Choice Awards. With over 250 businesses nominated, the South Bay’s community of active readers and digital users gave the walk this prestigious honor. Southbay magazine features the walk in their summer issue on newsstands now through August. The popular magazine’s fall publication will also be featuring the friendships behind the walk, showcasing the children and teens who inspired the charity event.
SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk was also nominated and awarded “Best Charity” by the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce in its first annual “Best of Manhattan Beach Awards.” The inaugural awards dinner brought together community leaders to spotlight innovation and excellence while recognizing and honoring the best and brightest of Manhattan Beach.
“It’s remarkable to see the increase in participation and the overall effect that the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has had on the lives of so many children and their families,” said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “Children with special needs are no longer sitting on the sidelines and school programs are improving. I’m extremely grateful to our supporters and sponsors that have helped us do this great work. The continued commitment from this amazing community makes all the difference, and we look forward to another great event this year!”
The fifth annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk will be held on October 27 at the Manhattan Beach Pier.
From the awards received, to the globally recognized sponsors such as Nickelodeon, Zappos.com, Ross, Foot Locker, Body Glove, Chevron, Marshalls, Wells Fargo and DirecTV, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has proven to be a success. The walk has helped retain vital educational curricula, maintained smaller class sizes, upgraded technology and preserved high-quality programs, as well as supported Friendship Circle (www.gotfriends.com) – an organization that nurtures, inspires and includes children and young adults with special needs and their families through friendships with teen volunteers, valuable programs and events in their community.
The efforts set forth, and the support from the community, sponsors, and walkers contribute to the many reasons why the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has quickly become one of the largest and best charity events in the South Bay.
For more information about the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com.
The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization that assists children with special needs and their families through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational programming (www.gotfriends.com).
ABOUT SKECHERS Foundation
The SKECHERS Foundation was established to provide families around the world with the necessities and skills to succeed in life. In addition to producing the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, the SKECHERS Foundation funds tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that provide education and job training, shoes, clothing, fitness and nutrition guidance to communities in need.
ABOUT SKECHERS USA, Inc.
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name, as well as under several uniquely branded names. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and over 100 countries and territories through the Company’s global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or simply state future results, performance or achievements, and can be identified by the use of forward looking language such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project," "will be," "will continue," "will result," "could," "may," "might," or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the resignation of SKECHERS’ former independent registered public accounting firm, and its withdrawal of its audit reports with respect to certain of SKECHERS’ historical financial statements; international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the ongoing global economic slowdown and market instability; entry into the highly competitive performance footwear market; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers, decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in SKECHERS’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The risks included here are not exhaustive. SKECHERS operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Stacey Kammerzell
310.318.3100
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released Aug 7, 2013 • 4:33 pm EDT