Vans Donates Over $1M And Creates The Vans Checkerboard Fund To Fuel Creativity

Vans Checkerboard Fund to support ongoing commitment to champion and celebrate creative expression globally

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Dec 03, 2019, 12:00 ET

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Vans commemorates the inaugural #VansCheckerboardDay held on November 21 and its more than $1 million donation to Imagination.org and announces the creation of the Vans Checkerboard Fund, a global grant program that will provide monetary support to qualified charitable organizations across the globe that enable creative expression through Vans' core pillars of action sports, art, music and street culture.

Vans HQ in Costa Mesa, California closed its doors in celebration of Checkerboard Day

In observation of Vans Checkerboard Day on November 21, Vans closed its corporate headquarters for the day to encourage employees to join Vans Fans across the globe in celebrating and championing creativity in their communities by wearing their iconic checkerboard patterns and taking part in activities that focus on enabling creative expression. The more than $1 million donation to 2019 charity partner Imagination.org consisted of sales made globally by Vans on November 21 and the proceeds from its Global Ambassador Charity Auction in partnership with eBay for Charity, featuring custom one-of-a-kind designs from Vans ambassadors.

The donation to Imagination.org will help form over 100 new creativity chapters globally by October 2020 and strengthen its 150 current chapters, reaching over 20 countries and 10,000 kids around the world.

"As a brand engrained in youth culture, Vans Checkerboard Day was much more than a corporate giving initiative. It was about rallying our internal stakeholders, our extended Vans family and our global consumers to make a difference in the lives of young people worldwide by championing and celebrating the power of creativity," said Doug Palladini, Vans Global Brand President. "Our founder, Paul Van Doren, famously stated Vans is 'a people company that just happens to make shoes.' That's why today we are proud to create not only the Vans Checkerboard Fund to further enable creative expression but we are also making the commitment that at every brand activation, event or brand sponsorship, the Vans Family who are present for the experience will seek out a local community program to support through giveback initiatives so that our brand makes an impact that goes beyond our owned brand experience."

"With Vans' support, not only will we be able to support our existing 200 Creativity Chapters with more training, tools and resources, but we now have the opportunity to launch 100 entirely new Chapters globally," said Nirvan Mullick, who founded Imagination.org after his 2012 film Caine's Arcade went viral. "Over 10,000 kids will be directly impacted by this donation, and we could not be more grateful for Vans' partnership in inspiring the next generation to express themselves creatively."

Since 2013, Vans has donated more than $6 million to creative charities globally, enabling creative expression in communities around the world. Vans believes that creativity is an essential part of being human and that everyone should be able to express themselves through the unique mediums that come from action sports, art, music and street culture. Vans Checkerboard Fund will allow Vans to connect with more organizations around the world that work to enable creativity for our youth. Organizations can visit www.vans.com/checkerboardday to learn more.

About Vans
Vans^®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans^® authentic collections are sold in 84 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans^® has over 2,000 retail locations globally including owned, concession and partnership doors. The Vans^® brand promotes creative self-expression in youth culture across action sports, art, music and street culture and delivers progressive platforms such as the Vans Park Series, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing^®, Vans Pool Party, Vans Custom Culture, and Vans' cultural hub and international music venue, House of Vans.

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About Imagination.org, Powered by Two Bit Circus
The mission of Imagination.org, powered by Two Bit Circus Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is to find, foster and fund creativity and entrepreneurship in children around the world in order to raise a new generation of innovators and problem solvers who have the tools they need to build the world they imagine. Fueling a movement to help kids and communities foster creativity through Creative Play, Imagination.org powered by Two Bit Circus Foundation, aims to grow Creativity Chapters around the world. Imagine a world where creativity and entrepreneurship are core social values nurtured in schools, homes and communities everywhere, where all children are taught to be creative thinkers and doers, and encouraged to make their very best ideas happen. Architected for maximum social impact, Two Bit Circus Foundation, aims to cultivate the next generation of inventors, advance environmental stewardship, and spur community engagement by providing schools and youth of all means with access to hands-on STEAM learning, modern maker tools, and upcycled materials.

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