Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has pledged to raise $7.5 million & donate $7.5 million in goods & services over the next five years
By GlobeNewswire, April 14, 2016, 08:30:00 AM EDT
New Albany, OH, April 14, 2016- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) (the “Company”) announced today its five year, $15 Million commitment to SeriousFun Children’s Network. Founded by Paul Newman, SeriousFun Children’s Network is a global community of camps and programs where children with serious illnesses get to experience the magic of camp. For a week at a time, being sick takes a back seat to simply being a kid. Specially-designed facilities and programs allow every child, no matter the medical condition, the opportunity to experience laughter, adventure, courage and friendship at camp, always free of charge. The network consists of 30 camps and programs worldwide, with locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Israel, and the Caribbean.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has been linked to SeriousFun since 2011 when the Company began a relationship with member camp Flying Horse Farms, which is located outside of Columbus, Ohio, near the Company’s headquarters. In the last five years, Company associates have volunteered more than 7,000 hours at Flying Horse Farms. They have trained and served as camp counselors, and redesigned and painted the camp’s medical center, the “WellNest”, to make it more welcoming for the campers. Driven by a groundswell of associate enthusiasm, Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s partnership has expanded to the entire SeriousFun Children’s Network.
“Our associates are passionate about this partnership and our further commitment to SeriousFun will allow even more opportunities for them to get involved in camps throughout the world,” said Fran Horowitz, President & Chief Merchandising Officer of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “We wholeheartedly believe in the wonderful work that is occurring throughout the SeriousFun network and we are thrilled to provide more support to the organization in the coming years.”
To kick off this committed partnership, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids and Hollister, will launch camp-inspired t-shirt collections in stores and online starting this week, just in time for summer. All sales from the merchandise will benefit SeriousFun Children’s Network. In addition, for the next month customers can round up their purchase to the nearest dollar in all US stores, with all donations going to SeriousFun.
The apparel will go beyond the stores and into the camps worldwide, as Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will now be the official apparel sponsor of SeriousFun camps. In 2015, the Company donated 45,000 t-shirts for campers, volunteers and staff at 13 camps around the world. As the official apparel sponsor, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. aims to donate more than $1.5 million in product annually.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. also plans to continue its volunteer camp counselor program. Established in 2015, the Company created the program to give associates an opportunity to support campers firsthand, while learning valuable leadership and mentoring skills. At least fifty associates per year will be carefully screened and selected, then placed in weeklong camp sessions around the world.
In addition, the Company’s annual large-scale philanthropic event, the A&F Challenge, which raised more than $1 million each year since 2001, will benefit SeriousFun Children’s Network for the next five years, and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will continue to sponsor the SeriousFun galas as it did in 2015.
“We are beyond appreciative of the support and resources the team at Abercrombie & Fitch has given to SeriousFun over the last several years and we are excited to launch this long term, network-wide partnership,” said Mary Beth Powers, Chief Executive Officer of SeriousFun Children’s Network.
About Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is a leading global specialty retailer of high-quality, casual apparel for Men, Women and kids with an active, youthful lifestyle under its Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids and Hollister Co. brands. At the end of the fiscal year, the Company operated 754 stores in the United States and 178 stores across Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The Company also operates e-commerce websites at
www.Abercrombie.com, www.abercrombiekids.com and www.HollisterCo.com.
About SeriousFun Children’s Network
SeriousFun Children’s Network provides specially-adapted camp experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families, empowering them to believe in themselves and lead fuller lives. Camps include: Camp Boggy Creek in FL, Camp Korey in WA, Double H Ranch in NY, Flying Horse Farms in OH, North Star Reach in MI, Roundup River Ranch in CO, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in CT, The Painted Turtle in CA, Victory Junction in NC, Barretstown in Ireland, Bator Tabor in Hungary, Dynamo Camp in Italy, Jordan River Village in Israel, L’ENVOL in France, Solaputi Kids’ Camp in Japan, and Over the Wall in the UK. For more information, visit https://www.seriousfunnetwork.org/
