Tuesday, January 22, 2013

SIA Collaborates with K.I.D.S. to Collect Winter Clothes for Children Affected by Hurricane

Apparel donations from retailers, manufacturers and suppliers will be distributed by K.I.D.S. to children in New Jersey and New York

WASHINGTON (Jan. 16, 2013) - SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is organizing children’s winter apparel donations for the New York City-based charity Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) to help children in New Jersey and New York still suffering from the storm’s impact three months later.

For efficiency, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers can participate in SIA and K.I.D.S. New Year, New Start Sandy Relief Drive by sending new merchandise to the Global Experience Specialists (GES)-sponsored donation center in Denver, Colo. between January 21 and February 21. They can also drop off their donations on site during the SIA Snow Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo. (Jan. 31-Feb. 4).

Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, injured hundreds of people and damaged more than $60 billion in property across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeastern regions of the United States. Many who have returned home are still without the clothing and personal items that were lost in the storm.  

“Even though three months have passed, there are still huge post-storm needs to be met, particularly for kids still without the winter necessities,” said Tom McGann, president and CEO of Spyder, the company that spearheaded the New Year, New Start Sandy Relief. “Collecting new winter apparel for them will be a great way for the industry to use its unique resources to impact the lives of these children.”

The snow sports industry has been contributing to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort in various ways since the storm hit. The Snow Sports Sandy Relief Hub Facebook group, for instance, has connected snow sports industry professionals who want to support the affected communities. Kerry O’Flaherty, vice president of Eastern Winter Sports Rep Association, is one of many who have dedicated time to the relief effort.

“I’ve been out volunteering every weekend, and it’s incredible how many people still need a lot of help,” O’Flaherty said. “There are some towns on the south shore of Long Island and on the Jersey Shore where the whole infrastructure is gone. You can’t even get in there. Many people have lost everything.”

The K.I.D.S. donation program at SIA Snow Show is an efficient way for the entire industry to help with the Hurricane Sandy relief effort. Apparel and financial donations of any size are welcome. “No donation is too small when we work together,” said SIA President David Ingemie.

Unused children’s winter apparel donations can be shipped to the New Year, New Start Sandy Relief donation center: Upland Distribution Center Building #2, SIA Warehouse 12650 E. 33rd Ave. Denver, CO 80011. All donations should include a packing list describing the items and their retail value. Contributors who donate more than $50 worth of clothing and accessories will receive a letter from K.I.D.S. for tax purposes. Cash donations should be sent to SIA with checks payable to K.I.D.S. All financial and clothing donations are tax deductible.

- K.I.D.S. -

Kids in Distressed Situations was founded in 1985 with the mission of providing new kid-essentials to children and teens who have been impacted by poverty and tragedy. Since its inception, K.I.D.S has provided almost 1 billion dollars to help nearly 70 million children. With a network of over 1,000 local partner agencies located in all 50 states and an overhead of less than 3%, K.I.D.S. is able to effectively and efficiently deliver products directly to children when and where they need it. Most recently, the charity has been recognized by Consumers Digest as #1 in the Humanitarian Category in their 2012 Tri-Annual Edition of Top Charities for its spending efficiency and Forbes Magazine ranks the charity 6th in fundraising efficiency. The charity continues to be recognized by Charity Navigator with its highest four star rating. The Chronicle of Philanthropy places K.I.D.S. among the top 2 percent of non-profits in the U.S. K.I.D.S. receives both product and financial donations directly from companies, foundations and individuals with 97% of the value of all donations going directly to the children and teens in need.

- SIA -
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national not-for-profit, North American member-owned, trade association representing suppliers and service providers of snow sports products with constituents in the retailer, rep and resort communities. Annually producing the SIA Snow Show, the largest snow sports industry trade show, on-snow demo and networking environment globally, SIA delivers invaluable data/research reports including the Snow Sports Market Intelligence Reports, SnowSports RetailTRAKTM and Executive Market Summary. SIA also produces the Supplier Show,Sourcing Snow, at the SIA Snow Show; learn more at siasnowshow.com/sourcing. SIA is dedicated to growing the industry through consumer initiatives and websites, snowlink.com and wintertrails.org, marketing resources, services and collaborative programs to increase participation and move product. For more information, visit snowsports.org. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587 (Washington, DC Area). Phone: 703-556-9020, Fax: 703-821-8276, Email: SIAmail@snowsports.org.

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