For the first time ever since its inception in 2009 , Skechers’ Pier-to-Pier Friendship Walk at the Manhattan Beach pier on Sunday raised more than $1 million for children with special needs and local education.
With presenting sponsor Nickelodeon and celebrities Jimmy Kimmel, Brooke Burke-Charvet and Tommy Lasorda leading the charge, more than 10,000 supporters attended the event.
“It’s amazing for me to see so many people rally together, lending a hand and helping one another for something that’s so important – the educational systems and children with special needs,” Burke-Charvet said in a statement. She attended her fourth year of the walk with husband David Charvet and their four children.
Skechers president Michael Greenberg said that since 2009, he has observed a growing community of “caring people and an amazing network of local and national sponsors” working together to positively impact the livelihood of special-needs children and local students.
“We started this event with the idea that if everyone does a little, we all benefit a lot, and in the weeks leading up to the walk, thousands of people did much more than a little,” Greenberg said in a statement. “And on Sunday, I saw giving in action. I saw schools rally together. I saw extended families, celebrities, and friends walking together. I saw our community and globally-recognized companies giving for our kids … The [walk] has truly become more than an annual event. It has become a way to truly make a difference, a way for many to make a positive change. And I couldn’t be more proud.”
He added that achieving the $1 million goal was made possible by Steel Partners Foundation, which donated $73,000 on Sunday.
Since 2009, Skechers Pier-to-Pier Friendship Walk, a 3.4-mile stroll to Hermosa Beach pier and back, has raised nearly $3 million to support The Friendship Circle and help save teachers’ jobs, retain vital educational programs, maintain smaller class sizes, improve libraries and upgrade school technology.
