Skechers Celebrates 15 Years of Giving at This Month's Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk for Kids
The Skechers Foundation and Presenting Sponsor Kinecta Federal Credit Union Partner with Celebrities Brooke Burke, Mr. T and Amanda Kloots to Support Children with Diverse Abilities, Public Schools and National Scholarships
The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, presented by Kinecta Federal Credit Union, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a fundraising goal of $2.5 million for youth with special needs, public schools and national college scholarships. This year's special anniversary on Sunday, October 29th, will celebrate beautiful friendships with celebrities Brooke Burke, Mr. T and Amanda Kloots as the charity event launches a new era of fundraising for the next generation of children.
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Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Founder Michael Greenberg celebrates the 2022 event in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo: Business Wire)
"Over 15 years, our Walk has changed the lives of thousands of kids. Back in 2009, a passionate, devoted group of friends set their minds to giving children with diverse needs more access to programs, better education, and friendship. Today, we are making an indelible impact on children, families, volunteers, and companies that support our work," said Michael Greenberg, founder of the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. "There is so much to be grateful for. Together, we have created a vibrant Friendship Foundation and have laid the groundwork for our upcoming world-class Friendship Campus, which will serve individuals with physical and intellectual diversities; a lifeline fund that has transformed our public schools; and a national college scholarship program that has turned dreams into reality for high-achieving students who might not otherwise be able to afford college.
"Fundamentally, the Walk has also taught our children that any obstacle is surmountable when you are passionate, committed and determined—knowledge they will have for the rest of their lives. Our 15th anniversary is a tremendous milestone, and nothing makes me happier than celebrating this beautiful day that allows all of us to give back, with love and gratitude, to the children in our world."
"It's not where you start, it's where you finish—that's what I tell the kids, and that's why I'm proud to be part of this year's Walk," said actor and icon Mr. T. "I used to work as a teacher's assistant in the Board of Education, where I could guide students who had a lot of potential but needed help to get there. All kids can succeed when they've got the right tools and support. I'm proud to join Brooke, Amanda and the thousands who will be part of this event for our children. Our kids work hard and we should have their backs, every single day."
Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk donations support the future Friendship Campus (The Greenberg Family / Skechers Center)—a $55 million, 3.25-acre campus that will offer a life-changing community for friendship and learning. Planned for completion by year-end 2025, the facility will include numerous vocational programs including a Creative Arts Center, Culinary Institute, Recreation Center, Life Skills programming, and early education and mentoring opportunities, giving young adults the tools to transition to the workforce and find lifelong passion and purpose.
The Campus will also be home to the new headquarters for the Friendship Foundation, which offers companionship, celebrates uniqueness and encourages acceptance for all with diverse abilities. The organization offers 60+ in-person programs such as art, music, fitness, sign language, science, social emotional wellness and yoga, as well as pop-up programs like virtual scavenger hunts and talent shows that are free for anyone to attend locally and across the United States.
Academically, the Walk supports public school education foundations—reducing class sizes, updating labs, libraries and facilities and protecting teachers' jobs. The Skechers Foundation's national scholarship program also gives a portion of Walk proceeds to students with financial need and proven excellence in academics, athletics and leadership, donating more than $1.1 million in scholarships to date.
"Kinecta has been an active community partner in the South Bay for over 80 years, and giving back is a big part of what we do," said Keith Sultemeier, president and chief executive officer of Kinecta, which will sponsor a Financial Empowerment Academy at the new Friendship Campus. "At Kinecta, we are committed to the future success of our community, and we believe this requires investing in our youth through education. We're proud to continue as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk and support local public schools and education foundations."
Featuring a cast of performers including Young Selena singer and America's Got Talent golden buzzer winner Madison Taylor Baez, Team Siwa's pop group XOMG POP! and teen group FuturePop, the Walk has been supported by numerous celebrities and athletes including Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Romo, Howie Long, Meb Keflezighi, Jimmy Kimmel, Denise Austin, Kelly Brooke, Ellen K, Camila Alves-McConaughey, and dozens of Young Hollywood celebrities from Nickelodeon, Disney, Netflix, Apple TV+ and Hulu, including Logan Shroyer, Dani Bowman, Lily Brooks O'Briant and more.
Sponsors and walkers are welcome to sign up in person at the event or online at skechersfriendshipwalk.com. Participants can also follow the event on Facebook, X and Instagram.
In addition to Presenting Sponsor Kinecta Federal Credit Union, the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks all of its sponsors, including Nickelodeon, Rare Beauty, Schwartz Family Foundation, Steel Sports, United Legwear & Apparel Co., Big 5 Sporting Goods, Petco Love, TJX Companies, Chevron, Bank of America, Ross Stores, Barco, Dakine, Vertra, LA Kings, LA Dodgers, McCarthy, LA Angels, Continental Development, WSS, Turkish Airlines, Cushman & Wakefield and many more companies that are committed to supporting our children.
About Skechers Foundation
Established in 2010 to help children in need, the Skechers Foundation is dedicated to strengthening communities to ensure the health, success and well-being of youth worldwide. We invest in a global network of charitable organizations dedicated to embracing individuals with diverse abilities, improving education, empowering disadvantaged families and providing humanitarian, disaster and economic relief. By supporting millions through our products and services, we aspire to make a valiant effort in creating stronger, self-sufficient individuals for future generations.
About Skechers USA, Inc.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a Fortune 500® 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. Collections from The Comfort Technology Company™ are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through digital stores and over 4,700 Company- and third-party-owned physical retail stores. The Company manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About Kinecta Federal Credit Union
Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, Kinecta Federal Credit Union is one of the country's largest credit unions, with assets of $6.7 billion and more than 270,000 members from coast to coast. Banking the Southern California area for more than 80 years, with additional branches in New York, New Jersey, Northern California and Florida, Kinecta offers its members a full range of financial products from banking, lending and insurance to wealth management services. Kinecta has been recognized by the Mortgage Bankers Association as a recipient of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Residential Leadership Award, and received the Best of Show award granted by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Technology Council. Residents of Rochester, NY, voted Kinecta as a finalist for Best Credit Union in the Democrat & Chronicle's annual Rochester Choice Awards in 2022. Forbes awarded Kinecta as a top-ranked credit union in California on its America's Best Credit Unions in Each State 2022 List. Kinecta has 29 branches, and its members can use a network of more than 5,800 shared branches and access over 85,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. For more information on Kinecta, visit the website and LinkedIn.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, 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," "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 effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States and the impact of Russia's war with Ukraine; 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, 2022 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2023. 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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