Long before corporate philanthropy and charitable giving became boardroom buzzwords, footwear executives were initiating serious fundraising efforts for breast cancer research and awareness.
“The footwear industry has been a leader in fundraising to support research to find a cure for breast cancer,” said Joe Moore, president and CEO of FFANY and chairman of The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation, which hosts the Shoes on Sale breast cancer benefit every fall.
The fight against the disease began in 1992, courtesy of Jodi Fisher, Nine West’s VP of public relations. Back then, Nine West was looking at various charities to support and polled both employees and customers about the causes most central to their lives. Turns out, breast cancer was ravaging many families and was a disease that required more research.
But Fisher realized the need for funding exceeded the abilities of any single company, so she presented a bold proposal to the Nine West management: let the competition take part.
“I said, ‘Let’s move an entire industry around a cause, and let’s make a difference,’” she said. “The whole industry rallied around it.”
To help bring in other companies, Nine West solicited support from FFANY. In 1993, the Shoes on Sale event debuted under a tent in Central Park. It raised 0,000, which it distributed to seven hospitals researching the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.
A year later, the home shopping channel QVC began broadcasting the event, offering three hours of free airtime to sell shoes donated by footwear companies.
“That’s what made it explode,” said Moore.
Since then, Shoes on Sale has raised more than million and sold 1.2 million pairs of shoes.
“Some of the research grants we’re involved in are unbelievable,” said Fisher. “I’ve been to the clinics. When you go in, [researchers] will say, ‘We’re targeting this gene, and this is why it’s important.’ We wanted to focus on prevention and research and not just patient care.”
Of course, fighting the disease has other benefits, as well. A spokeswoman at Brown Shoe Co., which along with Nine West is a special benefactor to the event, said participating in Shoes on Sale also helps employees and customers. “Our contribution to FFANY Shoes on Sale also benefits our spouses, mothers, sisters, co-workers, friends and customers who are battling breast cancer every day,” she said.
In October, the event will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Reba McEntire will host the gala and will be featured in PSAs promoting the benefit.
But FFANY and Shoes on Sale are not the only ones on a mission. Other companies also are aggressively battling the disease through key sponsorships, charitable donations and special merchandise that simultaneously raise funds and awareness.
New Balance has teamed with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Race for the Cure event. “We’ve been involved with them on some level for 19 years,” said Chris Mann, associate manager of integrated marketing. “It started small, and it started with some of our employees getting involved in fundraising, but it was something the company quickly jumped on.”
Mann said that for the past 17 years, the company has been a national series sponsor of Race for the Cure and attends all 117 races around the country. “It allows us on a grass-roots level to interact with our customers and raise some awareness for breast cancer, making sure people are getting checked and screened and know the risk factors,” he said.
About five years ago, New Balance debuted its Pink Ribbon line of footwear, apparel and accessories. Fifteen percent of the wholesale price is donated to the foundation, with a guaranteed pledge of 0,000 and a maximum of million. So far, New Balance has given million to the organization.
The company also supports a variety of breast cancer detection initiatives close to its Boston headquarters. Over the past three years, the company has donated ,500 to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, which offers a traveling mammography service aboard a van. What’s more, New Balance donated 5,000 in 2007 to a women’s imaging center at Stephen’s Memorial Hospital, and another ,000 to the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center for mammography equipment.
“Locally, we do a few things to provide mammography services to women who might otherwise not have access to screening,” said New Balance charitable programs manager Molly Santry.
The action-sports footwear companies are also working to educate girls and young women about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
For the past two years, Etnies has sponsored Boarding for Breast Cancer ? a nonprofit, youth-focused awareness and fundraising foundation. According to brand director Mike Regan, the company wants to use its influence with young girls to call attention to the importance of a healthy lifestyle, as well as risk factors and prevention issues.
“Our consumer, in large portions, is a female consumer who is typically younger than the breast cancer demographic, but it’s important to educate her when she’s young,” said Regan. “Younger kids listen to us, so we can get them to take an interest in it. We can use the credibility we have as a brand to get them to think about something they might not be thinking about at a young age.” |
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