17 Dec Two Ten Footwear Foundation Raises $3 Million from Gala
Two Ten Footwear Foundation announced that its 2015 VIP Dinner, Auction and Annual Gala raised $3.15 million to change the lives of shoepeople in need. Surpassing all previous revenue records, over 175 footwear companies raised funds through sponsorship opportunities, ticket sales, live auction bids and donations to support Two Ten’s Emergency Fund. Both events, chaired by Jim Issler of H.H. Brown, continued a 76-year legacy of shoepeople “passing the hat” in support of footwear families in need.
The two-event format kicked off on December 1st, with a VIP Dinner and Auction sponsored by FFANY and held at historic 583 Park Avenue. The 400 footwear executives and celebrities in attendance included Fergie and Prince Amukamara, along with General (Ret.) David Petraeus via a video message specially recorded for the event.
Three industry icons were honored, including Kevin Donahue of Quabaug, who received the first ever Social Impact Award for his work to establish the Footwear Warriors Scholarship Fund. Louise Camuto accepted the T. Kenyon Holly Memorial Award on behalf of her late husband Vince Camuto, and Debbie Ferrée of DSW received the A.A. Bloom Memorial Award for her years of service to the Two Ten Footwear Foundation.
“The fact that we were able to break a fundraising record speaks volumes about the character and conviction of the great people in our industry,” said Diane Sullivan, Chair of the Two Ten Board of Directors and CEO, President and Chairman of Caleres. “And what a tribute to Vince and his legacy, as well as the work Kevin and Debbie have done over the years. Those directly helped by their efforts with Two Ten often immediately feel the benefit. But, I have no doubt their dedication equates to an even broader, long-term and significant positive impact on our entire industry.”
The festivities continued on December 2nd at the Annual Gala, where 1,700 members of the footwear community came together at the Hammerstein Ballroom to eat, drink, dance and sing along with Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons and DJ Chachi.
Two Ten 2015 Highlights
Over the past year, Two Ten has impacted the footwear community by:
Distributing $1.6 million to footwear families in crisis.
Awarding $870,000 in higher education and professional development scholarships to 310 members of the footwear community.
Uniting 110 footwear companies and over 6,500 footwear volunteers across the country in an industry‐wide community service program, Footwear Cares®, sponsored by Amazon Fashion.
Connecting thousands of footwear professionals through events and programming including Women in Footwear Industry (WIFI).
To see photos from this year’s events or for additional information about Two Ten Footwear Foundation, please visit http://www.twoten.org.