SKECHERS Foundation Raises $1 Million and Donates Record-Breaking Funds to Children with Special Needs and Education
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The SKECHERS Foundation celebrated its fifth annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk with a check presentation ceremony on Thursday, February 27 at the Company’s world headquarters in Manhattan Beach, California. The Foundation presented its largest donation totals in the history of the walk: $318,000 for The Friendship Circle – a non-profit organization that assists children with special needs and their families – and $492,000 dedicated to six education foundations.
SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg presents a $318,000 donation to The Friendship Circle (Photo: Business Wire)
“I am taken aback by the amount of support we have received from presenting sponsor Nickelodeon and dozens of national corporations including Steel Partners, Wells Fargo, Chevron and many more,” said SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. “Because of them, the help of celebrity supporters Jimmy Kimmel, Brooke Burke-Charvet and Tommy Lasorda, plus over 10,000 walkers, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal for the fifth consecutive year. It’s amazing to have raised $1 million and make such a sizable donation to both The Friendship Circle and education.”
The Friendship Circle (gotfriends.com) unites children with special needs and teen volunteers through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational activities, creating emotional bonds that improve the lives of kids and their families. “Donation funds from the SKECHERS Foundation have helped expand our current programs, including Camp Got Friends – a two-week summer retreat which serves 90 children with special needs,” said Yossi Mintz, executive director of The Friendship Circle. “With SKECHERS’ support, we have nearly doubled our monthly programs and will be able to increase sports and after-school enrichment activities through our 30 clubs for The Friendship Circle members.”
The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has become California’s largest charity event supporting children with special needs and education. Since its inception in 2009, the walk has united 34,000 participants and raised nearly $3 million to support The Friendship Circle and education foundations committed to saving teachers’ jobs, retaining vital academic programs, maintaining smaller class sizes, improving libraries and upgrading school technology.
The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is an extension of the SKECHERS Foundation, an organization that was founded to provide families around the world with the necessities and skills to succeed in life. Specifically, 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. The SKECHERS Foundation also develops community and after-school programs for local students, including classes with SKECHERS shoe designers held at the SKECHERS corporate headquarters in Manhattan Beach.
In addition to presenting sponsor Nickelodeon, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks sponsors that include: Steel Partners, 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 create a better future for children. For more information about the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit skechersfriendshipwalk.com or facebook.com/SKECHERSFriendshipWalk.
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 skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (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 growth, financial results and operations, its development of new products, future demand for its products and growth opportunities, and its planned opening of new stores, 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; consumer preferences and rapid changes in technology in 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, 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 Held
310.318.3100
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released Mar 3, 2014 • 3:16 pm EST