Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Breaks Donation Records With Over $2.6 Million Raised for Kids
Presented by Kinecta Federal Credit Union, the Annual Star-Studded Event Has Raised More Than $17 Million in 13 Years for Children with Special Needs and Education
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| Skechers President Michael Greenberg and Friendship Foundation member Jacob address participants at the 2021 Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo: Business Wire) |
LOS ANGELES--October 26, 2021--The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk returned to the beach and broke new records, raising more than $2.6 million for children with special needs and education. With approximately 17,000 participants, the event was supported by Presenting Sponsor Kinecta Federal Credit Union as well as over 100 other generous businesses and partners, and featured appearances by Sugar Ray Leonard, Brooke Burke, and Meb Keflezighi, plus live performances by Young Selena singer Madison Taylor Baez, Dance Moms’ GiaNia Paolantonio and He’s All That actor Gabe DeGuzman.
“The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is about raising much needed funds for children with special needs and education, but today was an event like no other—hearing about the impact of the joy on the faces of so many friends and family again, it moved me and truly brought home why we have this annual event,” began Michael Greenberg, co-founder of the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. “Over the past year, our kids have become more innovative, creative and determined. I really feel like they’ve taken a page from our playbook on how to thrive through anything, the same way we’ve vowed to improve their lives through the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk.”
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| From left: Presenting sponsor Kinecta Federal Union CEO Keith Sultemeier, Skechers Foundation Executive Director Robin Curren, Brooke Burke, Sugar Ray Leonard, Meb Keflezighi and Skechers President Michael Greenberg kick off the 2021 Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo: Business Wire) |
Mr. Greenberg continued: “Huge thanks to Kinecta, all of our generous sponsors, our celebrities and thousands of participants. Their sponsorship, contribution and enthusiasm illustrate both a giving spirit and how much they believe, like I do, that our future rests in the hands of these bright kids—we just need to provide the resources so they can be all they can.”
“It was such an honor to take part in this incredible Walk—I connected with it very personally,” added four-time Olympian and Boston and New York City Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi. “When I first came to America as a child, it was at school where I became a competitive runner—and those early days of training and racing have inspired every part of my life and have given me opportunities beyond my greatest dreams. By funding athletics, activities, clubs, classes, teachers and facilities for all of these children at the Friendship Foundation and schools, we’re giving this entire generation a chance to see how big their lives can really be.”
“The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk’s funds have helped transform the Friendship Foundation from a dedicated community club to a world-class organization that is redefining possibilities for children with special needs,” said Yossi Mintz, executive director of Friendship Foundation. “We’re helping in so many ways—from zoom pals and friendship clubs at over 40 schools which buddies up students with special needs to mainstream them with children on campus, to popular in-person clubs, enrichment classes, sporting events and our upcoming Friendship Foundation Campus which will break ground early next year with plans to open in 2023. All combined, we’re on the cusp of a great new chapter for children and young adults with special needs to get an education and job training so that they can be a part of the workforce of our great country. We’re grateful for how much the Walk has inspired other children to welcome these wonderful kids into their lives.”
Historically California’s largest event for children with special needs and education, the 3.5-mile Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has raised more than $17 million to date for public schools, scholarships and the Friendship Foundation—with approximately 17,000 registrants this year.
Donations from the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk support The Friendship Foundation and education foundations for public schools. The Friendship Foundation offers children with special needs one-on-one peer visits and social recreational activities, from online gatherings to summer camps, sporting event outings and classes such as music, yoga, cooking, art and drama. The event also helps enhance schools, reduce class sizes, update labs, libraries and facilities as well as protect teachers’ jobs. This year, the Skechers Foundation’s national scholarship program will donate a portion of the proceeds to students with financial need and proven excellence in academics, athletics and leadership, and has awarded $620,000 to date.
The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks its Presenting Sponsor Kinecta Federal Credit Union, and all of its generous sponsors, including The CET Foundation, Nickelodeon, Steel Sports, Steel Partners, McCarthy Building Companies, Vertra, Dakine, Dreamworks Animation, The MBS Group, Continental Development, United Legwear & Apparel, Chevron, Moose Toys, Petco Love, Ross Stores, simplehuman and many more companies who have helped us support, educate and inspire a generation of children.
To watch this year’s Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk and learn more about the event, please visit skechersfriendshipwalk.com or YouTube, and follow the Walk on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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 SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Skechers (NYSE: SKX), The Comfort Technology Company based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in the United States and over 170 countries and territories via department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through 4,057 Company- and third-party-owned retail stores and e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, Israel and Mexico, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, India, Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may 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 the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; 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 Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2021. More specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has had and is currently having a significant impact on Skechers’ business, financial conditions, cash flow and results of operations. Forward-looking statements with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic include, without limitation, Skechers’ plans in response to this pandemic. At this time, there is significant uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic, including without limitation, (i) the duration and extent of the impact of the pandemic, (ii) governmental responses to the pandemic, including how such responses could impact Skechers’ business and operations, as well as the operations of its factories and other business partners, (iii) the effectiveness of Skechers’ actions taken in response to these risks, and (iv) Skechers’ ability to effectively and timely adjust its plans in response to the rapidly changing retail and economic environment. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. 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 we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business 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.
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From Footwear News:
Skechers Returns to the Beach for 13th Annual Pier to Pier Friendship Walk With $2.5M Fundraising Goal
The annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk was back on the beach after going virtual last year amid safety precautions due to COVID-19.
Now in its 13th year, the fundraiser organized by the Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based brand returned to an in-person event on Oct. 24 with a goal of raising $2.5 million to help children with special needs through a partnership with the Friendship Foundation, an organization that facilitates friendships between teen volunteers and children with special needs through confidence-building activities. The mission also supports educational programs for schools around the South Bay area.
Last year, taking the cause online presented some challenges that Skechers had to navigate. “It made raising money probably more difficult. But again, we just figured out ways to continue to connect with the sponsors and the residents in the community,” said Skechers president Michael Greenberg. “But once you find the new direction as to how to reach out, people are quick to give in support, and that’s what’s been taking place.”
In 2020, the event raised more than $1.5 million. For Greenberg, pivoting the annual fundraiser through the pandemic presented many learnings.
“I think the lessons that we should take from what we’ve been through as a world for nearly two years now is that in our busy lives, we go through life with blinders on. But we need to be more aware every day and we need to show more care and more compassion and more love.”
For its 2021 event, Skechers secured Kinecta Federal Credit Union as a multiyear presenting sponsor. The Friendship Walk is also supported by more than 100 other companies, including Nickelodeon and United Legwear & Apparel.
With over 15,000 registered participants this year, the walk continued to offer a virtual component via livestream to help engage a broad audience in addition, while also reuniting the community in-person.
Skechers ambassadors Brooke Burke, Sugar Ray Leonard and Meb Keflezighi led the 3.4-mile walk from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back.
Since its inception in 2009, the event has raised more than $17 million.
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Originally published: October 27, 2021.
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