SKECHERS Foundation Announces $1.2 Million Fundraising Goal for 2015 Pier to Pier Friendship Walk on October 25

October 15, 2015 | By Business Wire News

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.

The SKECHERS Foundation today announced a $1.2 million fundraising goal for the 2015 SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk that will take place on Sunday, October 25. Building upon last year’s record-breaking $1.1 million that was raised to support children with special needs and education, celebrities including boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard will join television host and actress Brooke Burke-Charvet and legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda for the Walk’s opening ceremony celebration, which begins at 9 AM at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

“When we organized the first SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in 2009, I never imagined how large this event could grow and how life-changing it would become for thousands of families,” said SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. “With the help of our generous sponsors, including presenting sponsor Nickelodeon, it has become the largest walk in Southern California that supports children with special needs and education. It truly warms my heart to see the community join together every year to make a difference and build a better future for our children.”

To help the SKECHERS Foundation reach its $1.2 million fundraising goal, the #P2PSteelSports Selfie Challenge, which raised an additional $25,000 at last year’s Walk, will be returning for the 2015 event. Created by Walk sponsor Steel Sports, the challenge encourages participants to take a selfie photo at the Walk and upload to their Instagram, Facebook or Twitter account with the #P2PSteelSports hashtag. For each photo posted, Steel Sports will make an additional $5 donation towards the Walk’s fundraising total. The challenge begins at 8 AM on the morning of the Walk and participants will have 24 hours to post their photos to receive a donation credit.

Warren Lichtenstein, chairman and CEO of Steel Partners LLC, commented: “We are proud to support the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk with the Steel Sports Selfie Challenge, plus a new hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activity that allows children to build their own rockets provided by the real rocket scientists at one of our portfolio companies, Aerojet Rocketdyne. This event is a great way to stimulate children’s interests in space and science in a family-fun environment, while at the same time raising money for an important cause.”

Since its inception in 2009, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has raised over $4 million to support education foundations which utilize the funds to upgrade school technology and science labs, improve libraries and music programs, reduce class sizes and help save teachers’ jobs. The Walk also provides critical funding for The Friendship Circle – 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 11,000 participants attending the 2014 Walk, SKECHERS is anticipating an even larger turnout at the 2015 event. 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 us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERSFriendshipWalk) and Twitter (twitter.com/SkechersP2PWalk).

In addition to headlining sponsor Nickelodeon, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks its sponsors that include: Wells Fargo, Steel Sports, South Bay Vein and Laser Group, The Claudette and Ethan Rickett Care Foundation, Ross, Zappos.com, Tour de Pier, DIRECTV, United Legwear & Undwear Co., Body Glove, Kids Foot Locker, United Legwear, 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., 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 120 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, more than 1,100 SKECHERS retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce website. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, and 13 wholly-owned subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, Latin America and throughout Europe. 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 growth, financial results and operations, its development of new products, future demand for its products and growth opportunities, its planned opening of new stores, advertising and marketing initiatives, and the expansion plans for the Company’s European Distribution Center. 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, 2014 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2015. 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.