$1 Million Raised for Children with Special Needs and Education at SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk
Jimmy Kimmel, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Tommy Lasorda and Nickelodeon Turn Out to Raise Awareness at Record-Breaking Event
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The SKECHERS Foundation today announced that it raised a record $1 million for children with special needs and education through the 2013 SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. With presenting sponsor Nickelodeon and celebrities Jimmy Kimmel, Brooke Burke-Charvet and Tommy Lasorda leading the charge this past Sunday, the fifth annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk also saw a record 10,000-plus walkers, making it the largest event of its kind for these causes in Southern California.
Tommy Lasorda, Michael Greenberg, Brooke Burke-Charvet and Jimmy Kimmel attend the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk (Photo: Business Wire)
“It’s amazing for me to see so many people rally together, lending a hand and helping one another for something that’s so important – the educational systems and children with special needs,” said Brooke Burke-Charvet, who attended her fourth year of the walk with husband David Charvet and their four children. “I’ve been a member of the SKECHERS family for nearly twenty years. It’s an honor to be here, and I’m so proud to participate in this event.”
"Every October since 2009, we've brought a growing community of caring people and an amazing network of local and national sponsors together to raise much needed funds and positively impact children with special needs as well as students in our schools," began SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. "We started this event with the idea that if everyone does a little, we all benefit a lot, and in the weeks leading up to the Walk, thousands of people did much more than a little. And on Sunday, I saw giving in action. I saw schools rally together. I saw extended families, celebrities, and friends walking together. I saw our community and globally-recognized companies giving for our kids. Steel Partners Foundation joined us in a donation totaling $73,000 on Sunday to help us reach our million-dollar goal. The generosity of all made this possible.”
Greenberg added: "Through this extensive support, we’ve been able to transform the lives of those involved in The Friendship Circle, nurturing the abilities and talents of the children with special needs and creating strong friendships with the many teen volunteers. And we have been able to save programs and provide supplies to our schools. The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has truly become more than an annual event. It has become a way to truly make a difference, a way for many to make a positive change. And I couldn't be more proud."
The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk brought numerous celebrities moved by the cause: Brooke Burke-Charvet, Dancing with the Stars co-host, mother and long-time friend to SKECHERS; Jimmy Kimmel, late-night talk show host and friend to The Friendship Circle; legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, a member of the Pier to Pier Walk’s Board of Directors who has appeared at the walk every year since its inception; and actress, singer and Nickelodeon star Ashley Argota, who closed the opening ceremony celebration with a stellar performance of the national anthem.
The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is now Southern California’s largest event supporting children with special needs and education. Since its start, the walk has raised nearly $3 million to support The Friendship Circle, as well as help save teachers’ jobs, retain vital educational programs, maintain smaller class sizes, improve libraries and upgrade school technology.
In addition to presenting sponsor Nickelodeon, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks sponsors that include: Steel Partners Foundation, Wells Fargo, Zappos.com, Ross, Rack Room, DSW, United Legwear, Marshalls, Toyota, WSS, Journeys, Chevron, Premiere Displays & Exhibits, Body Glove, Dealer.com, DirecTV, Equinox, Union Bank, Michael Stars, Microsoft, Viva International Group, Northrop Grumman, Honda, Fresh Brothers, Shade Hotel, Murad, Finish Line, Fair Fashion Media, Foot Locker, OK! Magazine and many others who have provided funds and support to provide a better future for children. For more information about SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com, or www.facebook.com/SKECHERSFriendshipWalk.
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 organizing 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 The Friendship Circle
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 USA, Inc.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., (NYSE:SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and in over 100 countries and territories through the Company’s international network of subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, Japan, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia and distributors around the world. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s future financial results and operations, its development of new products, future demand for its products and growth opportunities, and its planned advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements 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 the Company’s former independent registered public accounting firm, and its withdrawal of its audit reports with respect to certain of the Company’s 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 the Company’s 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 June 30, 2013. The risks included here are not exhaustive. The Company 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 Oct 29, 2013 • 3:42 pm EDT