SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Raises Record-Breaking $1.6 Million for Kids
Brooke Burke-Charvet, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Lasorda, Denise
Austin and Camila Alves Joined Lead Sponsors Nickelodeon and NBC4
Southern California to Support Children with Special Needs and Education
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The SKECHERS Foundation today announced that its 8th annual 2016 SKECHERS
Pier to Pier Friendship Walk exceeded $1.6 million for children with
special needs and education. Supported by lead presenter Nickelodeon and
new media sponsor NBC4 Southern California, the Walk reached a new
attendance high with 12,000 people taking part in the event.
Celebrities at the SKECHERS
Pier to Pier Friendship Walk included actress, model and longtime
SKECHERS supporter Brooke Burke-Charvet; legendary boxer Sugar Ray
Leonard; model and entrepreneur Camila Alves; actor Ian Ziering;
mother/daughter fitness icons Denise and Katie Austin; and Hall of Fame
baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, a Walk Board of Director who has
appeared every year.
“I’ve been part of this Walk for two years now, and there’s nothing like
it. It galvanizes us to come together and make a difference in
children’s lives,” said Sugar Ray Leonard, who spoke about the event.
“It really highlights the great optimism in all of us, and the power we
have when we organize for good. I hope this Walk inspires others to do
the same.”
Numerous teen television and movie stars were on hand to support the
Walk and meet fans. Attendees also enjoyed performances from Asia Monet
Ray who sang the National Anthem, Jordyn Jones, New District and Aidan
Prince.
“The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has taken a life of its own
in so many incredible ways,” said Michael Greenberg, president of
SKECHERS. “More celebrities and walkers are attending than ever before;
the media attention’s bigger than ever thanks to NBC4 Southern
California and other outlets; and our Walk’s reach on social media has
surpassed four million viewers.”
Added Greenberg: “I think our Walk has really resonated with people
because in our hearts, we love putting our kids first. We’re witnessing
a growing culture of inclusiveness for our children with special needs,
which has brought joy to so many. And we want to play a direct role in
the success of our schools and follow through on our educational
promises to our kids. I’ve absolutely loved taking part in this Walk for
the past eight years, and am already looking forward to next year.”
The nation’s largest event supporting children with special needs and
education, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has raised more
than $7 million since its 2009 launch. Funds support The Friendship
Foundation, an organization that assists children with special needs and
their families through one-on-one peer mentoring, social recreational
programming, field trips and sporting events, as well as education
foundations committed to retaining vital academic programs, maintaining
smaller class sizes, improving libraries, and upgrading school
technology. The SKECHERS Foundation is also entering the third year of
its scholarship program, and plans to donate $100,000 to deserving
students across the country in 2017.
In addition to its headlining sponsor Nickelodeon and media sponsor NBC4
Southern California, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks
sponsors Wells Fargo, Steel Sports, The Claudette and Ethan Rickett Care
Foundation, Ross, Zappos.com, Vertra, WSS, United Legwear & Underwear
Co., Mattel, Body Glove, Premier Displays & Exhibits, Kids Foot Locker,
JAKKS Pacific, Marshalls, Cushman & Wakefield, Caskey & Caskey, Siltanen
& Partners Advertising, Continental Development, Northrop Grumman,
Equinox, Chevron, and many others who have provided funds and support to
provide a better future for children. To learn more about the SKECHERS
Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit skechersfriendshipwalk.com
or 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 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,
more than 1,710 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party 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, the Company’s 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 and opening
of new stores, the completion of the expansion and upgrade of the
Company’s European Distribution Center, 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 uncertainty of sustained
recovery in Europe; 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, 2015 and its quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2016. 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.
Contacts
SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Stacey Held, 310-318-3100
