Skechers Foundation Gives More Than $1.5 Million to Children with Special Needs and Education
The Foundation Continues its Annual $100,000 Scholarship Program for Students Nationwide
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Skechers Foundation celebrated its ninth record-breaking Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk for children last week at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach, California – presenting more than $510,000 to The Friendship Foundation in support of kids with special needs, and over $1 million for education foundations. The organization also announced the continuation of its annual Skechers Foundation Scholarship Program, and will award $100,000 in college scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Denise Austin and Skechers President Michael Greenberg at the 2018 SKECHERS Friendship Walk Check Presentation (Photo: Business Wire)
“Over nearly a decade, the Skechers Friendship Walk has enabled thousands of children to thrive – with millions of dollars that have made kids with special needs and our schools a top priority,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “The Walk has broken attendance and donation records every year since it started – it resonates with families on such a profound level. And it’s supported an entire generation of youth, from elementary kids who are just starting out to twenty-somethings who are now making an impact on the world.”
“The Skechers Foundation Scholarship Program is just another great way that Skechers is making a difference,” added legendary boxer and Skechers ambassador Sugar Ray Leonard, who was in attendance at the celebration. “Scholarships don’t just give kids the ability to pursue higher education – they also give them more confidence and motivation to follow their dreams. This prestigious program has helped ambitious students from all over the country attend top state and Ivy League schools including Emory, Penn, Dartmouth and Brown – and I’m so proud to back a brand that inspires our kids to excel.”
In addition to new community service scholarships for exceptional Friendship Foundation volunteers, the Skechers Foundation will continue to award more than a dozen $1,000 to $5,000 scholarships to deserving students nationwide based on financial need, academic performance, athletic abilities and leadership qualities. Administered by leading education support manager Scholarship America®, the application is currently available to all high school seniors on www.SkechersFriendshipWalk.com. Winners will be announced in early June.
The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has grown into California’s largest charity event for children with special needs and education – raising $9 million and uniting more than 67,000 participants since its inception. Funds have supported The Friendship Foundation’s programs and events for children with special needs and their families, as well as educational foundations’ commitments to saving teachers’ jobs, retaining vital academic programs, maintaining smaller class sizes and upgrading school libraries, facilities and technology.
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 Foundation
The Friendship Foundation 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., 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 and over 160 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, 2,570 Skechers Company-owned and third-party-owned retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe and Latin America. 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, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and 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 international economic, political and market conditions including the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States; 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, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; 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, 2017. 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.
Media:
Anne Kelly
SKECHERS USA
annek@skechers.com
(310)
318-3100
Source: Skechers USA, Inc.
Released Mar 5, 2018 • 2:31 pm EST