Payless ShoeSource Ann=
ounces
Selected Non-Profit Partners for Payless Gives(TM) Shoes 4 Kids Holiday Pro=
gram
to Give $1 Million in Free Shoes to Children of Families in Need
Thursday December 4, 2:08=
pm ET
|
|
630 Agencies Representing 50 States Chosen for First-o= f-its-Kind National, Grass Roots Campaign; Program Launches Today with Nearly 67,000 $= 15 Gift Coupons Dispersed to Partners; Kids Start Shopping for Free Shoes
Bloo=
mfield,
CT December 10, 2008-- Leading family footwear retailer, Payless ShoeSource,
announced today that 630 nonprofit partners located in small towns, mid-size
and large cities and rural areas representing 50 states and the District of
Columbia have been chosen for its Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program, a
national, grass roots campaign aimed at delivering $1 million of shoes to
American children of families in need.
Payless is giving near=
ly
67,000 $15 gift coupons redeemable through Jan. 31, 2009, towards a new pai=
r of
kids' shoes at any of the more than 3,600 stores across the United States*.=
Nonprofit partners cho=
sen in
Payless said that all
partners should receive their gift coupons packages today along with a pers=
onal
letter from Matthew E. Rubel, chairman and chief executive officer of
Collective Brands, Inc., which owns Payless, with a special request to get t=
he
coupons into the hands of the children that need them in time for the holid=
ays.
The quantity of gift coupons per agency was based on agency size and the nu=
mber
of constituents served. Packages landing today include as many as 200 coupo=
ns
for some agencies.
"Kids will start
shopping today for their free shoes," said Rubel. "A great pair of
shoes can lift spirits, bolster self confidence and bring a huge smile to a
child's face. The recipient children can actually select their own shoes --
which will be an even more inspiring experience for them. Together, with our
partners, we are thrilled to deliver a true gift to so many families this
holiday season."
Payless initiated the =
new
program in response to the economic crisis, its impact on the underprivileg=
ed,
the significant need across the United States for children's shoes, and to
support smaller, localized nonprofits with a tool to assist them in helping
those in need this holiday season.
The company launched t=
he
program on Nov. 11 with a call to action to the non-profit community to app=
ly
to be partners in the national shoe-gifting campaign with an aim to build a
network of localized organizations across the nation for immediate, direct
access to kids in need. In a 10-day application period, the retailer receiv=
ed
more than 2,500 applicants at its application website http://www.paylessgives.com and
inquiries from more than 3,000
"We were overwhel=
med by
the response from the non-profit community to join us in this important eff=
ort
-- to give a free pair of shoes to children in need this holiday season,&qu=
ot;
said Rubel. "Our intent is to work with and through a diverse network =
of
localized non-profits that have direct and immediate access to the children.
Our chosen partners -- 630 in all -- represent every state and a diverse gr=
oup
of non-profits located in small towns, mid-sized and large cities, as well =
as
rural areas so that we can blanket the nation and most effectively reach th=
ose
in need."
Greater Horizons of Ka=
nsas
City, also a nonprofit, served as the independent third-party to manage the
selection process based on Payless' core selection criteria, which included=
IRC
501(c) (3) status, filing form 990, and direct access to underprivileged
children in local communities during December.
For a complete list of=
the
630 Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids partners by state and city, please go to http://www.paylessgives.com. Inclu=
ded
will be organization name with a link to its website.
About Payless
Payless ShoeSource, In=
c., a
unit of Collective Brands, Inc., is the largest specialty family footwear
retailer in the
Collective Brands, Inc.
(NYSE: PSS - News) is a leader in brin=
ging
compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and relat=
ed
accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic un=
its
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 democratizi=
ng
fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than
4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle(TM), Airwalk®,
Dexter®, Champion® 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 foot=
wear
sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite&r=
eg;,
Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®, Robeez®, and Saucony®, among othe=
rs;
and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management a=
nd
global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Vi=
sion
Street Wear®, Sims®, Lamar® and LTD®, World Snowboarding
Championships(TM), Sugarboards®, Carve®, genetic®, Dukes(TM),
Rage®, Ultra-Wheels®, and Skate Attack® brands. Information abo=
ut,
and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be foun=
d at
http://www.collectivebrands.com=
.
About Greater Horizons=
Greater Horizons helps
donors across the entire
About Covenant to Care=
for
Children
CCC is a statewide non=
profit
whose mission is to channel and mobilize caring and faithful people to ment=
or,
advocate for and provide direct services to the children and youth of Connecti=
cut
who are abused, neglected or at-risk.
###