Aéropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO), a mall-based specialty retailer of casual and active apparel for young women and men, today announced that it has partnered with nonprofit One Warm Coat to create its first annual ‘1 Warm Kid’ campaign, a coat drive for kids that will run from October 11, 2010 through October 31, 2010 at P.S. from Aéropostale locations across the country. In support of the campaign, P.S. from Aéropostale will match every donated coat with a brand new coat up to 100,000.
‘1 Warm Kid’ aims to raise awareness of the growing numbers of families living in poverty and to collect as many coats as possible, all of which will be donated to local agencies where they will be distributed to families in need this winter. A growing list of celebrities are lending their support to the campaign and encouraging others to participate. Those who donate will have the chance to win signed coats from Ellen DeGeneres, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Ricky Schroder, Cole and Dylan Sprouse (“Suite Life on Deck”), Debby Ryan (“Suite Life on Deck”), Jennette McCurdy (“iCarly”), avid Del Rio (“The Troop”), Tinsel Korey (“Twilight”), and more.
“1 in 5 kids live in poverty. It’s startling to learn of how many families struggle to have the basic necessities, such as a coat.” said Scott Birnbaum, Senior Vice President of Marketing of Aéropostale, Inc. “1 Warm Kid will provide warmth to many families this winter and shed light on this growing epidemic.”
A driving force behind the success of ‘1 Warm Kid’ is P.S. from Aéropostale’s relationship with the schools in its local communities. Through their partnership with One Warm Coat, more than 1600 schools were invited to participate in the coat drive. To activate students and entice school participation, P.S. from Aéropostale is awarding prizes to the top three schools that collect the most coats. First prize school will win $5,000 and a party in their school. The second and third place schools will win $3,000 and $1,000, respectively.
“We are excited to have the support and encouragement from schools across the country,” said One Warm Coat President Sherri Lewis Wood. “We know school kids can be a powerful force in community service. 1 Warm Kid provides them with an opportunity that is easy to implement and will have an immediate impact in their own community.”
In addition to the schools organizing drives, P.S. from Aéropostale welcomes individual donations as well. As an extra incentive for anyone who donates, P.S. from Aéropostale will give 25% off your next purchase, though no purchase is necessary.
To learn how to get involved, and for more information about ‘1 Warm Kid’, go to www.ps4u.com or www.onewarmkid.com
