Vans Will Donate $1M of Worldwide Sales to Youth Arts Charity for Launch of Checkerboard Day

Charlie Carballo

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Vans announced today an international initiative to foster creativity among youths and the launch of a new event to spread the word.

Dubbed Vans Checkerboard Day, the brand will host activations on Nov. 21 that will support the cause and raise awareness about the impact of creative expression on personal development, which can foster problem solving skills and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Vans will donate $1 million in worldwide sales from its owned retail stores and Vans.com to Imagination.org, an organization dedicated to nurturing the creative talents of children.

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“Vans Checkerboard Day is an opportunity for us to put a stake in the ground and rally our internal team, our extended Vans family and our fans around the world to come together to celebrate creative expression and make a difference in the lives of our youth,” explained Doug Palladini, Vans global brand president, at the Worldz conference in Long Beach, Calif.

Additionally, prior to Vans Checkerboard Day, consumers and fans will have the opportunity to engage in community-oriented experiences that support the initiative.

“To work with Vans as their 2019 charity partner for Vans Checkerboard Day is an incredibly humbling opportunity,” said Nirvan Mullick, founder of Imagination.org. “Despite being recognized as one of the most critical skills for the next generation, creativity in children is declining. Through Vans Checkerboard Day and the generous donation by Vans to our cause, we are solving this crisis by finding, fostering and funding creativity and entrepreneurship in children around the world.”

Vans has had a longstanding commitment supporting artistic development among youths as public school art budgets and creative programs continue to decline. On Sept. 5, the brand launched its annual Custom Culture competition, which gives high school students in North America the opportunity to design a Vans shoe for prize money, which is awarded to their schools. In the last decade, more than 12,000 students have participated and the company has donated over $1 million.

Under its parent VF Corp., Vans continues to be a profit-driver along with its sisters Timberland and The North Face. For Q4, the skate-lifestyle label had double-digit gains, recording 14% revenue growth and 24% for the full year.

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