Denise Austin Fan: SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Breaks Records in Its Fourth Year

October 30, 2012 02:13 PM Eastern Daylight Tim

SKECHERS Foundation Raises More than $750,000 for Children with Special Needs and Education

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The SKECHERS Foundation today announced that more than $750,000 was raised for children with special needs and education through Sunday's SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. The 2012 donations were significantly higher than last year’s total of $580,000 thanks to the record number of walkers, more than 8,500 people, and the many donations by local and national businesses, including presenting sponsor Nickelodeon.

“Four years ago when the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk began we had 2,200 people come out; now we’ve surpassed 8,500 walkers in 2012, which is a testament to the compassion and dedication of our community”

"Four years ago when the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk began we had 2,200 people come out; now we’ve surpassed 8,500 walkers in 2012, which is a testament to the compassion and dedication of our community,” said SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. “The $750,000 we raised through this year’s walk will help many children with special needs continue to thrive through the Friendship Circle programs; it’s inspiring to see what a big impact small gestures can make. Many education foundations that are in dire need of funding will also benefit from the money we’ve raised through this year’s walk.”

The 3.4 mile walk from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back was hosted by fitness expert Denise Austin, who rallied the crowd before the walk. Legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda also spoke about the importance of giving back to make a positive impact in the community, and Dancing with the Stars co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet congratulated SKECHERS and all the walkers for making a difference to help children with special needs and for supporting education foundations.

In addition to presenting sponsor Nickelodeon, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship walk thanks it’s generous sponsors True Religion, Wells Fargo, DIRECTV, WSS, Michael Stars, Kids Foot Locker, Ross, Body Glove, Marshalls, Murad, Chevron, Fresh Brothers, Union Bank, Equinox, Travel Store, Bobeli Screen Printing, Premier Displays and Exhibits, Viva International Group, Adjmi Apparel Group, Bel Air Investments, Dabsan International, O'Melveny & Myers, Diners Club International, Tashman, Mathnasium, United Legwear, Steel Excel and countless others who have provided funds and support to make a difference in children’s lives. For more information about the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit: www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com.

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., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and over 100 countries and territories through the Company’s global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or simply state future results, performance or achievements, and 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, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the ongoing global economic slowdown and market instability; 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, 2011 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2012. 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.
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