ROCKFORD, Mich., Sept. 1,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Merrell, the
leading outdoor performance and lifestyle brand, is joining forces
with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) to
encourage friendly competition by tracking steps as a way to break
down barriers and make the outdoors accessible to more youth.
Tallying up all shared steps throughout the month of September,
Merrell will donate $1 for every mile
to BBBS (up to $40,000) to benefit
local chapters and equip them with the resources needed to help
kids experience the mental and physical benefits of the outdoors.
Whether participants choose to walk, run, hike or simply get
outside to move around, together shared steps can go
further.
Participation in the Shared Steps challenge is easy! Simply
register your everyday fitness tracking device or platform – such
as an Apple Watch or FitBit – at Merrell.com/BBBS and
start moving. At the end of September, Merrell will aggregate the
total miles completed to determine its donation to BBBS. Twelve Big
Brothers Big Sisters agencies will win additional cash prizes and
Merrell gear for BBBS volunteers and families.
"At Merrell, we believe that the earlier you experience the
outdoors, the faster you benefit from the physical and emotional
aspects the outside provides," said Adam
Koepfer, Partnerships Manager at Merrell. "Our brand exists
to share the simple power of being outside and having a trusted
mentor to experience it with is an incredibly impactful thing for a
young person. Through our Shared Steps challenge, we hope that
communities will come together and step towards this joint goal,
while benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters along the way."
Merrell recently entered into a multi-year partnership with BBBS
to create life-changing connections for young people to experience
the outdoors. The mentoring program pairs young people (called
'Littles') with caring adult mentors (called 'Bigs'), and with the
support of its partners like Merrell, has been able to foster life
changing connections for young people while presenting them with
unique experiences. During the month of September, BBBSA and BBBSC
are celebrating Big Brothers Big Sisters Month to generate
awareness for the critical need of mentoring relationships to
empower young people. Together, Merrell and BBBS are committed to
breaking down the barriers to the outdoors that youth face while
providing outside activities for Bigs and Littles to enjoy
together.
"The simplicity of being outside isn't always as simple as it
may seem, especially for young people who lack access. Getting to
green space often requires transportation or other means that are
not always attainable," said Adam
Vasallo, Chief Marketing Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters
of America. "Through our ongoing partnership with Merrell, we hope
to continue expanding the opportunities for all young people to be
outside and have new experiences in an environment where they feel
safe and welcome."
The Shared Steps campaign is an extension of Merrell's Step
Further platform which launched earlier this year and was designed
to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts to go a step
further than they, or anyone who came before them, ever thought
possible. Merrell is committed to making the outdoors accessible to
all, and that includes the brand taking its own steps further to
support more meaningful causes and meet the needs of new and
diverse outdoor consumers.
As part of the campaign, Merrell is promoting the
expansion of its top-selling hiking boot franchise, the Moab,
in order to continue to meet the needs of outdoor consumers that
are seeking trail-ready, athletic, and stylish footwear.
Since its inception in 2007, the Moab hiking boot has been
the gateway footwear to the outdoors for more than 20 million
people around the globe. The Moab Speed and
Moab Flight, a light hiking shoe and
trail running shoe that sit in the athletic outdoor hybrids
category, are available on Merrell.com and at select retailers
around the world.
For more information on Merrell's Shared Steps challenge or to
register a step tracker, please visit
Merrell.com/BBBS.
About Merrell
Merrell® exists to share the simple
power of being outside. As the global leader in outdoor active
footwear with the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell is
focused on merging performance, styling, and comfort to empower all
people to confidently explore the outdoors. Merrell is celebrating
its 40th birthday in 2021 with a mission to build
an inclusive and sustainable outside environment for future
generations to enjoy. Visit Merrell.com,
the Merrell Newsroom, or follow us on
social @Merrell. Merrell® is a division of
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW), one of the
world's leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active
lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform
footwear and apparel.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Founded in
1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the largest and most
experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one
mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
Big Brothers Big Sisters' evidence-based approach is designed to
create positive youth outcomes, including educational success,
avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater
confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters
has 230+ local agencies serving more than 5,000 communities across
all 50 states. For more information,
visit: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Established over 107 years ago,
the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is to enable life-changing mentoring
relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people.
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides one-on-one and group mentoring
services for more than 40,000 children and youth in 1,100
communities across Canada. Many
young people face adversities in their lives, resulting in toxic
stress that can negatively impact their development. With the
support of a mentor, young people can overcome these adversities
and develop the confidence to reach their full potential. Visit
http://bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/ for more
information.
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