Just two days after the Dodgers eliminated the Brewers to clear the way for a second consecutive World Series Championship, Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a surprise appearance at the 17th Annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in Manhattan Beach.
Kershaw announced the start of Sunday, October 19 walk from the Manhattan Pier to the Hermosa Pier and back. But not before rallying the estimated 20,000 walkers to cheer on the Dodgers in their then upcoming World Series games against the Toronto Blue Jays. (The Dodgers would win in seven games).
“This mission really hits home for my family because it’s exactly what Ellen and I strive to do through Kershaw’s Challenge — give kids opportunities they might not otherwise have in the classroom, on the field, and in life,” Kershaw said of his family’s charity.
Prior to Kershaw rallying the crowd, Friendship Foundation co-founder and Skechers President Michael Greenberg thanked the walkers for helping to raise over $3.2 million that day for the Friendship Foundation and local education foundations.
The walk has helped make possible the founding of the Future Friendship Campus, a 60,000 square foot school that will prepare neurodiverse students for employment. The $60 million campus is scheduled to open next year in Redondo Beach.
The walk also raises funds for local school foundations, based on the number of school families who participate in the walk. Over 1,000 Hermosa Valley School students and parents participated in the walk. Since the walk began in 2009, Hermosa Valley walkers have raised $2.3 million by participating in the walk, the most of any of the local school districts.
The walk has raised $32 million since its founding in 2009, when 1,200 walkers helped raise $220,000 for the Friendship Foundation. For more about the Skechers Pier to Pier visit SkechersFriendshipWalk.com.
