MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The SKECHERS Foundation today announced that the 2014 SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk broke records and raised over $1.1 million for children with special needs and education. Co-sponsored by Nickelodeon, the Walk was the largest to date – with more than 11,000 participants rallied by celebrity supporters Ellen K, Brooke Burke-Charvet and Tommy Lasorda.

“It's my fourth time at the Walk, and every year it's incredible to see thousands of parents, neighbors and friends gathering for our kids,” said Brooke Burke-Charvet, who attended the Walk with husband David Charvet and their four children. “Of all my experiences with SKECHERS, this is one of the most inspiring. This day really makes me feel like we can all turn our hopes and dreams for our kids' futures into a reality.”

This year's event also marked the launch of the SKECHERS Foundation's scholarship program; at the Walk, SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg announced that they are planning to donate more than $250,000 to deserving students across the country in 2015. The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk and sponsor Steel Sports also successfully teamed up for the event's first-ever #P2PSteelSports Selfie Challenge, which pledged $5 donated to the Walk for each photo posted on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the #P2PSteelSports hashtag. The challenge raised an additional $25,000 for The Friendship Circle and education foundations this year, and last year Steel Partners was integral in the Walk reaching the $1 million donation milestone.

“The #P2PSteelSports Selfie Challenge was a great incentive to involve kids and teenagers in a way that's familiar to them,” said Warren Lichtenstein, chairman and CEO of Steel Partners LLC. “Now we have lasting memories from the Walk that can be shared across social media platforms, and we raised even more money to support children with special needs and education.”

“As a father and a friend, I firmly believe that every child deserves to live his or her life to the fullest, regardless of circumstance. And I'm thrilled to see that our kids now have more opportunities to learn, thrive and make lifelong friendships because of this event,” added Michael Greenberg. “Organizations like The Friendship Circle, which transforms the lives of children with special needs, and nurtures their friendships with teen volunteers – these kinds of memories last a lifetime. The extent of all their activities – from the programs at school, at home, fieldtrips to sporting events, and across the community – they're unparalleled. They're giving these wonderful children a strong sense of self-worth and belonging that has been long needed.”

Mr. Greenberg continued: “Supporting The Friendship Circle and directly funding much-needed education programs sends a clear message – we're all committed to investing in our most important and beloved asset: our children. And with this largest-ever donation to date, I'm thankful and thrilled by all the great ways that we'll be able to support The Friendship Circle and our schools in the coming years.”

Many celebrities turned out to support the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk including Ellen K of the globally syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio show; Brooke Burke-Charvet, actress, model and long-time supporter of SKECHERS; Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, a member of the Pier to Pier Walk's Board of Directors who has appeared every year of the Walk's history; and The X-Factor Season 3 trio Sweet Suspense, who made their first appearance at the Walk to perform the national anthem.

Now the largest event supporting children with special needs and education, the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk has broken fundraising records every year since its 2009 launch. The Walk has raised more than $4 million to support The Friendship Circle, an organization that assists children with special needs and their families through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational programming – as well as funding education foundations to retain vital academic programs, maintain smaller class sizes, improve libraries, and upgrade school technology.

The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk thanks presenting sponsor Nickelodeon and many generous sponsors including Steel Sports, The Claudette and Ethan Rickett Care Foundation, Wells Fargo, Shorewood Realtors, Ross, Zappos.com, DIRECTV, Body Glove, Amazon Fashion, Kids Foot Locker, United Legwear, JAKKS Pacific, Marshalls, Cushman & Wakefield, Caskey & Caskey, Siltanen & Partners Advertising, Continental Development, Northrop Grumman, Equinox, Michael Stars, Chevron, and many others who have contributed funds and support to provide a better future for children. To learn more about the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit skechersfriendshipwalk.com or facebook.com/SKECHERSFriendshipWalk.

ABOUT SKECHERS Foundation

The SKECHERS Foundation was established to provide families around the world with the necessities and skills to succeed in life. In addition to organizing the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, the SKECHERS Foundation funds tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that provide education and job training, shoes, clothing, fitness and nutrition guidance to communities in need.

ABOUT The Friendship Circle

The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization that assists children with special needs and their families through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational programming (www.gotfriends.com).

About SKECHERS USA, Inc.

SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE: SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and in over 100 countries and territories through the Company's international network of subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, Japan, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia and distributors around the world. For more information, please visit skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company's future growth, financial results and operations, backlogs and its development of new products, future demand for its products and growth opportunities, its planned opening of new stores, advertising and marketing initiatives, and the expansion and automation plans for the Company's European Distribution Center. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the resignation of the Company's former independent registered public accounting firm, and its withdrawal of its audit reports with respect to certain of the Company's historical financial statements; international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the ongoing global economic slowdown and market instability; entry into the highly competitive performance footwear market; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers, decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. The risks included here are not exhaustive. The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.

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