MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The SKECHERS Foundation today announced a $1.5 million fundraising goal for the eighth SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, an annual event to support children with special needs and education. Media sponsor NBC4 will join returning presenting sponsor Nickelodeon and a team of celebrities – including Sugar Ray Leonard, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Tommy Lasorda, Denise Austin and Camila Alves – for the event on Sunday, October 23 in Manhattan Beach.
“The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has grown from a passionate community event devoted to children with special needs and education, to a star-studded movement that has broken records every year and raised $1.4 million for kids last year alone,” said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “Over the years, our message has remained the same – to support, educate and inspire our children. We’re truly grateful to have so many join forces to realize this year’s $1.5 million goal for our kids: from dedicated, longstanding partners like Nickelodeon, to a respected media organization like NBC4, and all of the local businesses and individuals that have put their hearts and souls behind this walk for nearly a decade.”
“Nickelodeon is proud to continue its support of the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk and the amazing work that will benefit from it, providing support for children with special needs and education opportunities,” said Sharon Cohen, executive vice president of Partner Marketing, Nickelodeon.
“NBC4 is proud to be the first and exclusive media sponsor of an event that gives generously to children with special needs,” said Steve Carlston, president and general manager of NBC4 Southern California. “NBC4’s commitment to local communities runs deep and the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is another meaningful way to support neighborhoods in the South Bay.”
Since its inception in 2009, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has dramatically grown its event in order to build awareness for children with special needs and education. Supported by its dedicated community and distinctive sponsors, the Walk has raised approximately $7 million to date, which has helped education foundations improve school technology, science labs, libraries and music programs, reduce class sizes and save teachers’ jobs. The Walk also provides critical funding for The Friendship Foundation – an organization that assists children with special needs and their families through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational programming including field trips, summer camps and music classes.
With more than 12,000 participants attending the 2015 Walk, SKECHERS is anticipating an even larger turnout at the 2016 event – which will include special performances by triple threat Asia Monet Ray, social media star and singer Jordyn Jones, pop group New District, and dance sensation Aidan Prince. Starting at 9AM, the 3.4-mile route will begin at the Manhattan Beach Pier, traveling to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back. To register or make a donation, visit skechersfriendshipwalk.com or follow SKECHERS on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERSFriendshipWalk) and Twitter (twitter.com/SkechersP2PWalk).
In addition to headlining sponsor Nickelodeon and media sponsor NBC4 Southern California, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks its sponsors that include: 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.
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 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 and over 160 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, more than 1,545 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.
