New Balance Commemorates 25 Year Partnership With Susan G. Komen®

BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- New Balance announced today that it will launch the Lace Up 365 program to mark the 25^th anniversary of its partnership with Susan G. Komen®.  To honor this milestone and those affected by breast cancer, starting November 1, 2013, supporters can dedicate their daily workouts to a breast cancer survivor featured each day on newbalance.com by tagging social media posts with the #LaceUp365 hashtag.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131104/NY09846LOGO )

New Balance recognizes that the fight against breast cancer does not stop in October. #LaceUp365 is a full-year program designed to raise awareness and generate support for Komen's mission to eradicate breast cancer.

Participants can visit www.newbalance.com/laceup to join the Pink Laces Club for exclusive features, personal stories and tips dedicated to staying fit and healthy and continuing the fight against breast cancer. By registering, members will receive a pair of pink shoelaces and additional incentives to utilize the #LaceUp365 hashtag throughout the year. Each day, a different breast cancer survivor's story will be profiled on the site, and users are encouraged to dedicate their daily workouts and show their support to these courageous women and men, using the #LaceUp365 hashtag.

"New Balance continues its commitment to supporting Susan G. Komen all year round, by raising funds through corporate and consumer donations, including those made through purchases of our Lace Up for the Cure® Collection," says Amy Shapiro, cause marketing manager for New Balance. "We believe that through these funds, we can make a significant contribution to the ground-breaking research, among other things, that Komen is supporting. Those funds are getting us ever closer to the cures for this disease while assisting survivors through community health programs and treatment services."

In 2014, New Balance will donate 5% of the manufacturer suggested retail price of sales from the Lace Up for the Cure® Collection with a guaranteed minimum donation of $500,000 to Komen.  In 2012, New Balance donated $1.9 million from sales of the collection.

"For 25 years, New Balance has played a vital role in supporting Komen's mission," said Dorothy Jones, vice president of marketing at Komen. "We are grateful for their longstanding commitment to this cause and look forward to reaching even more women and men through the Lace up for the Cure® collection and #LaceUp365."

The Lace Up for the Cure® Collection is comprised of footwear, apparel and accessories all adorned with the Komen Running Ribbon. In honor of the 25^th anniversary of New Balance's partnership with Komen, New Balance will debut a limited edition Lace Up for the Cure® 3190 running shoe and special edition t-shirts. The 3190, launching April 2014, features the Komen Running Ribbon on the midsole and the tagline "Let's Make a Cure Happen" on the inside of the tongue.

For more information about New Balance's partnership with Komen, please visit www.newbalance.com/laceup.  

History

New Balance has been associated with Susan G. Komen® since 1989, and has been a National Series Sponsor of the Race for the Cure® since 1991 – making New Balance the longest running sponsor of the Race series. As a National Series Sponsor, New Balance partners with retailers and Komen Affiliates across the country to promote awareness at the local level. In addition, the company sponsors the 3-Day®, Marathon for the Cure^® and Honorary Team New Balance, a group of breast cancer survivors selected from each Komen Race for the Cure. In September and October, the company hangs a giant pink ribbon at their global headquarters in Boston, MA to highlight that month's Massachusetts Race for the Cure^® event and October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

About New Balance

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host.  New Balance is currently the only major shoe company that manufactures athletic footwear in the U.S. with 25% of our U.S. footwear shipments produced at five New England facilities. The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Flimby, U.K.  New Balance employs more than 4,000 associates around the globe, and in 2012 reported worldwide sales of $2.39 billion. To learn more about how New Balance Makes Excellent Happen, please visit http://www.newbalance.com.

About Susan G. Komen®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Suzy, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. Today, Susan G. Komen® works to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world by investing more than $790 million in breast cancer research and $1.5 billion in community outreach programs over the past 30 years; providing funding to help low-income and uninsured women get screened and get treatment; advocating for cancer research and outreach programs; and working globally in more than 30 countries. Visit komen.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE New Balance