Photos by Ralph Doyle
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’s 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 when they play the Toronto Blue Jays in the first game of the World Series on Friday.
Prior to Kershaw rallying the crowd, Friendship Foundation Michael Greenberg thanked the walkers for helping to raise over $2.5 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 Sunday’s 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 Friendship Foundation Walk, visit SkechersFriendshipWalk.com. ER
