More than 18,000 Fans Across the World Celebrate #VansCheckerboardDay as Vans Donates Over $1M to Help Revitalize Local Communities

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12/15/2021 - 10:00 AM

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Vans, the original action sports brand and advocate for creative expression is proud to announce that with the help of over 20 non-profit partners, the brand was able to commemorate the third-annual Vans Checkerboard Day on November 18 by encouraging more than 18,000 fans to leverage creative self-expression to better our communities around the world through events and activities across art, action sports, music, and film.

Some of the regional activations included:

Colectivo Tomate worked with the Mexico City community to transform a skatepark, keeping the local skateboarding scene. The community also created a mural painting while enjoying art workshops and skateboarding showcases.
Sustainable Coastlines created an interactive art piece about plastic pollution with the community at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii while completing a beach cleanup.
Groundswell met at Middle School 664 in Brooklyn to create a mural and host a printmaking activation for kids and the local community.
JUJU and Surf Ghana hosted a variety of activations at Besua Beach in Ghana. Activities included a beach clean-up, free surf lessons, an art performance, film screening and custom culture workshop.
The Indigo Youth Movement brought together the Cape Town, South Africa community to complete a mural painting, participate in gardening and host a tie-dye workshop and kids skate lesson with the Vans team.
Hackney Bumps hosted an event at the new skate obstacle created by Concrete Commanders Betong Park and inspired by designs skaters in the community had submitted leading up to Vans Checkerboard Day. The event also included graffiti painting, giveaways, and a design submission showcase.
Girls in Film hosted its own mini film festival welcoming the community in London to meet fellow filmmakers and skateboarders including community screenings, industry discussions and a networking party.

To further this mission to drive positive change, more than $1 million was donated by Vans and The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation, to 15 regional charities and global partner DoSomething.org to support the mission of revitalizing communities around the world.

"Now almost two years into a global pandemic, community connectivity and public spaces have been in direct need of support," says Doug Palladini, Vans Global Brand President. "As a brand that champions the power of creativity, it was important for us to utilize our third annual Vans Checkerboard Day as not just our biggest philanthropic moment of the year but to proactively take action through creative endeavors that drive positive change all around us. Whether fans participated in regional events, the TikTok challenge or showed support for the movement by wearing the Checkerboard pattern, each individual reinforced that we stand for something that makes the world a better place."

This year's global partners were GoodPush, Groundswell, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Colectivo Tomate, Nations Skate Youth, Dignity for Children, Another Way of Seeing, ArtDream, Skateboard Academy, Hackney Bumps, Juju Surf Club, Indigo Youth Movement, Girls in Film, Jukebox Collective and The Hub. Each of the 15 regional partners received $50,000 USD from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation or via a direct donation from Vans to continue their impact. Vans also donated $250,000 to its global partner DoSomething.org, with $25,000 going toward scholarships.

Vans Fans donated a total of 5 million of their own Vans Family points through the Vans app to raise an additional $25,000 for DoSomething.org scholarships and shared how they sported their checkerboard and supported their community on November 18 through the #VansCheckerboardDay challenge on TikTok which garnered over 11 billion video views.

Since the inception of Vans Checkerboard Day in 2019, Vans has donated more than $3 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. The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation was established to support Vans' ability to provide monetary support to nonprofit organizations that provide the skills, support and opportunities needed to build a more equitable society where all have the opportunity to realize their creative potential. 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 97 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 Checkerboard Day, Vans Park Series, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, Vans Custom Culture, and Vans' cultural hub and international music venue, House of Vans.

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