Schools
Skechers Foundation Raises Funds For Palos Verdes Education
The annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk went virtual, raising $1.8M total for special needs kids and local education foundations.
PALOS VERDES, CA — The Skechers Foundation continued its Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk's 12-year fundraising commitment to children with special needs and education during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising over $1.8 million for its first-ever virtual event — boosting its donation total to over $15 million for children to date.
A check for $159,943 was presented to the Palos Verdes Education Foundation on Feb. 9 during a socially distanced check presentation at Skechers' flagship retail store in Downtown Manhattan Beach.
Other local educational foundations received checks as well, including those from Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
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The funds go toward critical staffing and school programs including foreign language, music, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, as well as distance learning, education intervention and counseling support. The Skechers Foundation also expanded the size of its annual scholarship program, awarding $200,000 to exceptional high school students nationwide for the fourth year in a row.
The non-profit organization Friendship Foundation for children with special needs and their families was presented with over $500,000 from the Skechers Foundation.
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Historically California's largest event for children with special needs and education, the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has grown to gather more than 17,000 annual registrants at the Manhattan Beach Pier every October in celebration of children.
Celebrity supporters over the years have included guests and emcees such as Jimmy Kimmel, Brooke Burke and NBC4 investigative reporter Lolita Lopez; athletic legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Romo, Howie Long, Matt Kuchar and Brooke Henderson; fitness guru Denise Austin; performers Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja and Dallas Young; and numerous YouTubers, Nickelodeon and Disney network stars.
The 2020 event was supported by headlining media sponsor NBC4 Southern California and more than 100 companies. Skechers executives and foundation donation recipients participated in the check presentation event last Tuesday.
- Patch Editor Liz Spear contributed to this report.
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