12 Aug Rack Room Shoes’ philanthropic initiatives help children in need, local communities
Rack Room Shoes’ commitment to year-round charitable initiatives spans local, national and global proportions.
This Back to School season, Rack Room Shoes is on target to raise more than $600,000 through its Shoes That Fit partnership, provide $50,000 in scholarship monies to high school students, as well as donate $50,000 to charities in local markets as part of its Models Wanted 10th Anniversary.
“Our business objectives are rooted in giving back,” said Jan Mauldin, corporate marketing director for Rack Room Shoes. “As our brand continues to grow, so does our focus on corporate giving.”
Shoes That Fit fundraiser – Shoes That Fit is a national non-profit organization that provides shoes to children in need. Through Sept. 8, customers who make a donation of $5 or more will receive a complimentary Shoes That Fit tote bag. Rack Room Shoes then donates 100 percent of the proceeds to local Shoes That Fit programs. The funds stay in the communities that the stores serve and are distributed to school liaisons that identify children who are in need of new shoes.
Since 2007, nearly 100,000 pairs of new shoes have been provided to children in need through the Rack Room Shoes and Shoes That Fit partnership. Last year, Rack Room Shoes Shoes raised more than $555,000 during the 2013 campaign.
Champion Scholarship Contest – Sponsored by Rack Room Shoes and Keds, the Champion Scholarship Contest offers the chance for five students – in grades nine through 12 – to each win a $10,000 scholarship. Eligible students are asked to visit Rack Room Shoes’ contest page through Sept. 8 and share how education helps create champions in 500 words or less.
Models Wanted 10th Anniversary
In addition to Rack Room Shoes’ Back to School charitable initiatives, the retailer has committed $50,000 to charities across the nation as part of its Models Wanted 10th anniversary celebration.
For the past decade, Rack Room Shoes has featured real customers – instead of professional models – in all of its seasonal advertisements, selected through the retailer’s annual Models Wanted contest. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the program, Rack Room Shoes invited winners from the last 10 years to enter for a chance to return as models.
In addition to being featured on the Rack Room Shoes’ website, advertising inserts and display signage, each family received $5,000 from Rack Room Shoes to donate to the charity of their choice.
Ten families were selected to appear in Athletic, Spring, Summer, Back to School, Fall and Holiday campaigns.
The five winning families featured in the current Back to School campaign selected charities close to their hearts, which include Project Right Start, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, Rio Grande Children’s Home, VOICEToday, Inc. and What You Give Will Grow.
Additionally, charitable recipients for Athletic, Spring and Summer campaigns were Make-A-Wish Central & Western North Carolina, Trinity Oaks and The Children’s Medical Center – Dallas, respectively.
Philanthropic activities trace back to Rack Room Shoes’ parent company, Deichmann Group. Through Word and Deed, a non-profit organization created by Dr. Heinz Deichmann in 1977, aid is provided to Christian organizations in the developing world on a wide variety of projects including child sponsorship, Christian education, orphan care, disaster relief and vocational training.
“We are proud to be a subsidiary of a brand that leads the way in charitable giving,” said Mauldin. “We are encouraged to continue to find ways we can support the communities in which we live and serve – as any good neighbor would.”