Third Annual Program with One-of-a-Kind 'Friendship Shoe' Available Now at Select New York Metro Area Payless Stores; 100 Percent of Net Profits from Shoe Sales Donated to The Fresh Air Fund
NEW YORK CITY and TOPEKA, Kan., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As Payless' giving programs continue to evolve and expand year after year, one thing remains constant - the family footwear retailer cares about children and families and supports programs benefiting them. That's why Payless and The Fresh Air Fund have once again teamed up this year on the Friendship Shoe program designed to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit organization and its mission to give inner-city children from New York City "fresh air" through free summer experiences at Fresh Air Fund camps and with host families in "Friendly Towns" outside the city.
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In honor of friendship and just in time for the last day of school and summer camp, Payless is making available the "Friendship Shoe" - a fresh new Airwalk(R)-branded "Kicks" style, a white canvas lace-up sneaker, that comes with a three-marker set ideal for creating original designs, collecting autographs, and above all, celebrating friendship.
The shoes are available now for $17.99 in children's sizes and $22.99 in adult sizes, while supplies last, at about 280 Payless stores in the New York City metro area (including stores in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) and on Payless.com(R). Payless will donate 100 percent of the net profits from the sale of the Friendship Shoe to The Fresh Air Fund.
"Our Friendship Shoe celebrates friendship - it's a unique item for children to carry out the time-honored tradition of sharing each other's signatures -- and it's fully philanthropic, helping give summer camp opportunities to children who might not have them," said LuAnn Via, president of Payless ShoeSource. "This is our third year with this program and we are thrilled to partner with The Fresh Air Fund on an empowering initiative that will ignite a range of possibilities for children, and especially to help Fresh Air Fund kids to get out of the city this summer and experience new friends, new venues, and new activities."
Also as part of the campaign, Payless launched an awareness campaign through store communications and shopping bag stuffers to share with shoppers how they can get involved and support The Fresh Air Fund.
The Friendship Shoe was inspired by the tradition of children gathering each other's signatures. The shoes are intended to allow people to have others sign and create special designs on the shoes and were specifically developed as a fun way to cherish the fond memories of time spent with friends.
About Payless' Giving Programs
Payless has established formal programs to support important causes by selling unique items and making them accessible with affordable price points and then partnering with shoppers by donating 100 percent of the net profits from item sales to a cause. Through such programs, Payless supports Breast Cancer Awareness in October and celebrates Black History Month in February and Hispanic Heritage Month in September by establishing the Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarships benefiting higher education of America's minority youth. For the Holiday 2008 season, Payless launched Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids, a first-ever national, grass roots initiative to give $1 million of free shoes to American children of families in need. And just last month, Payless announced its alliance with the Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign where it is donating $1 - the cost to plant one tree in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil -- for every reusable shopping bag sold. The company said it expects to plant, at minimum, 100,000 trees through this effort. These are among additional Payless giving programs focused on the communities in which the company operates.
About Payless & Collective Brands, Inc.
Payless ShoeSource, Inc., a unit of Collective Brands, Inc., is the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere and is dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value. As of the end of 2008, the company operated more than 4,500 stores. In addition, customers can buy shoes over the Internet through Payless.com(R) at www.payless.com.
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle(TM), Airwalk(R), Dexter(R), Champion(R) and designer collections Abaete for Payless, Lela Rose for Payless and alice + olivia for Payless, among others; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite(R), Keds(R), Sperry Top-Sider(R), Robeez(R), and Saucony(R), among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk(R), Vision Street Wear(R), Sims(R), Lamar(R) and LTD(R). Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be found at www.collectivebrands.com.
The Fresh Air Fund, an independent not-for-profit organization, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million inner-city children since 1877. For more information about The Fresh Air Fund, call 800.367.0003 or visit their website at www.freshair.org.
