Payless Announces Non-Profit Partners, Celebrity Athletes to Join Payless Gives™ Shoes 4 Kids(SM) Holiday Giving Program to Give $1.2 Million in Free Shoes to Children of Families in Need

TOPEKA, Kan., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading family footwear retailer Payless ShoeSource announced today more than 800 non-profit organizations located across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in 10 Latin American countries will join the retailer in its third annual Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program, a grass-roots effort aimed at giving more than $1.2 million in free shoes to children of families in need this holiday season.

Payless will give more than 77,000 shoe coupons redeemable through Feb. 28, 2011, toward a new pair of kids' shoes at any of its more than 4,500 stores located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.   Payless said that including this year, it has given $3.4 million in free shoes to children in need through the annual Payless Gives program.

"In its third year, the goal of the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program remains the same -- to provide footwear, a basic necessity, to children who might otherwise go without," said LuAnn Via, CEO of Payless.  "The success of the program over the past two years, and the number of children and families we have been able to assist, continues to drive our efforts.  Unemployment is still very high, affecting many families that struggle to provide their children with basic essentials.  This is especially challenging during the holidays, and with the help of our more than 800 non-profit partners, our goal is to make a bigger impact than ever this year."

To see a list of the selected 2010 Payless Gives non-profit partners by region, state or city please visit www.paylessgives.com.

Partnering with localized non-profits is an important grass-roots approach that helps Payless reach those in need more directly and immediately just in time for the holidays.  Payless said it received nearly 3,200 applications  and that its 2010 Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids non-profit network includes a total of more than 800 agencies: 733 charities in the United States, nearly 50 in Canada, five in Puerto Rico, and 20 throughout Latin America.

The non-profit partners will be receiving the free shoe coupons later this week with a special request from Payless to get the coupons into the hands of the children that need them in time for the holidays. The quantity of free shoe coupons per non-profit is based on the agency's size and the number of constituents it serves, and includes an average of about 100 coupons per charity partner.   Many of the non-profit partners take additional extra steps for the families including organizing transportation for group shopping trips to the local Payless store.

Celebrity Athlete Support

This year, celebrity athletes are joining the Payless Gives program, attending the shoe-shopping trips and making the events even more special for the children. Supporting the program this year is New York Yankee CC Sabathia's PitCCh In Foundation; Miami Dolphin Ronnie Brown's The Ronnie Brown Project; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger-founded After-School All-Stars, LA supported by LA Kings hockey legend Luc Robitaille; and for the second year in a row, Anthony Munoz's Anthony Munoz Foundation.

Payless initiated the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program in 2008 in response to the economic crisis, its impact on the underprivileged, the significant need across the United States for children's shoes, and to support smaller, localized non-profits with a tool to assist them in helping those in need during the holidays. The retailer has since expanded the program internationally across the Western Hemisphere because the need for children's shoes continues, the need is international and Payless is in a strong position to help.

Payless Democratizes Giving, Focuses on Children and Families

Earlier this month Payless also announced The Good Shoe Project.  From Dec. 15, 2010 through Feb. 14, 2011, whenever  a customer purchases the exclusive Airwalk Hope shoe for $19.99 at Payless stores and Payless.com, the retailer commits to giving a free pair of kids' shoes to a child in need in Central America through a new alliance with humanitarian organization World Vision. Through this buy-one-give-one program, Payless will deliver a minimum of 100,000 pairs next year to children in need in El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala.  

For the past six years, Payless has established formal philanthropic programs to support important causes by selling on-trend items and making them accessible at affordable price points and then partnering with shoppers, often donating 100 percent of the net profits from item sales to a nonprofit partner.  Through such programs, Payless supports breast cancer awareness and is a member of the $1 Million Council with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  The retailer celebrates Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month by establishing the Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarships with the National Urban League and Hispanic Scholarship Fund, respectively, to support the higher education of America's minority youth.  Payless supports inner city youth in New York City with its Friendship Shoe program with proceeds benefiting The Fresh Air Fund, which provides free summer vacations to underprivileged children living in the New York City area.   These are among the Payless and Collective Brands, Inc. giving programs.

About Payless & Collective Brands, Inc.

Payless ShoeSource, Inc., a unit of Collective Brands, Inc., is the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere and is dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value.  As of the end of second quarter 2010, the company operated nearly 4,500 stores.  In addition, customers can buy shoes over the Internet through Payless.com® at www.payless.com.

Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its nearly 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands Airwalk(R), Dexter(R), Champion(R), Zoe & Zac(TM), the first-ever affordable green footwear brand, and designer collections Lela Rose for Payless, Unforgettable Moments by Lela Rose, Christian Siriano for Payless, Patricia Field for Payless, Isabel Toledo for Payless and STPL x Airwalk, among others; Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group, focused on lifestyle and performance branded footwear and high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite(R), Keds(R), Sperry Top-Sider(R), Robeez(R), and Saucony(R), among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk(R), Above The Rim(TM), Vision Street Wear(R), STRIKEFORCE(TM), Clinch Gear(TM), Sims(R), Lamar(R) and LTD(R), World Snowboarding Championships(TM) and Hind(R). Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be found at www.collectivebrands.com.

SOURCE Payless ShoeSource

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