Naturalizer® To Donate $20,000 to WaterCan

April 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Naturalizer®, a brand of Brown Shoe Company, Inc., (NYSE- BWS, www.brownshoe.com) will donate $20,000 to WaterCan, the winner of the Friends of Naturalizer Spring 2011 campaign. The charity, which is dedicated to fighting global poverty by helping the world’s poorest people gain access to clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene education, was chosen by consumer votes to receive Naturalizer’s donation.

The Friends of Naturalizer campaign – which donated $1 from every shoe and handbag purchase in a Naturalizer store, on Naturalizer.com or Naturalizer.ca from April 7-11, 2011, up to $20,000 – included a contest element where consumers were invited  to vote on Naturalizer’s U.S. and Canadian websites and its Facebook page for the cause that most inspires them. In its fourth season, the program continues to further the brand’s mission to help women feel good by fusing fashion, comfort and the activities that make them happy.  

This spring, voters chose from three organizations that aim to help others live well, play well and be well.  The two remaining charities, Boys & Girls Club, an organization that provides safe places for children to learn and grow, and World Wildlife Fund, the world's leading conservation organization, will each receive $1,000 donations to support their causes.

“The overwhelming support these three charities received from the consumers that participated shows how passionate Naturalizer customers are about giving back, as well as the importance of the work of each charity is doing.  We believe in WaterCan’s mission to bring clean drinking water and sanitation to those who have no access to it, and we are honored to be able to contribute to this organization on behalf of our customers,” said Naturalizer Marketing Director Yolonda Curtin.  

WaterCan received 43 percent of the vote and will use the donation to provide clean drinking water and basic sanitation for 800 people.

“The Friends of Naturalizer Campaign is an exceptional example of corporate philanthropy, and we’re thankful to have been included as a charitable partner for a second year in a row,” said WaterCan Executive Director Gary H.J. Pluim. “We also thank all of WaterCan’s friends and supporters, and consumers who cast their votes for clean water and sanitation. We look forward to using this generous donation in support of our international program in Africa.”

Since the Friends of Naturalizer program began in 2009, Naturalizer has donated more than $80,000 to deserving charities.

For more information on Naturalizer, visit www.Naturalizer.com, www.Naturalizer.ca or www.facebook.com/Naturalizer.

WaterCan is a registered trademark of WaterCan/EauVive. WWF-US is a registered trademark of World Wildlife Fund. WWF-Canada is a registered trademark of World Wide Fund for Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund).

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About Naturalizer
Launched in 1927 as one of the first comfort-driven fashion footwear brands, Naturalizer strives each season to deliver just the right blend of style and comfort for the busy lifestyle of today's woman. Learn more by visiting www.naturalizer.com, and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Naturalizer.

About Brown Shoe Company, Inc.
Brown Shoe is a $2.5 billion global footwear company. Brown Shoe's Retail division operates Famous Footwear, a leading family branded footwear destination with over 1,100 stores nationwide and e-commerce site FamousFootwear.com, approximately 260 specialty retail stores in the U.S., Canada, and China primarily under the Naturalizer brand name, and footwear e-tailer shoes.com. Through its wholesale divisions, Brown Shoe designs and markets leading fashion and athletic footwear brands including Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, LifeStride, Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, Via Spiga, Vera Wang Lavender, Etienne Aigner, Avia, rykä, AND1, and Buster Brown. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's website at www.brownshoe.com.

About WaterCan
WaterCan is a leading international development charity dedicated to fighting global poverty by helping the world's poorest people gain access to clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene education. Our vision is simple: Clean Water for All! Since 1987, WaterCan's small-scale, community-driven programs have reached more than 1.2 million children, women and men in the world's poorest regions, breaking the cycle of poverty and disease and increasing opportunities for health, education, gender equality, and economic growth. Website: www.watercan.com

Media Contacts
Brown Shoe: Erin Conroy, (212) 324-4515, econroy@brownshoe.com
Fleishman-Hillard: Kathryn Watson, (314) 982-6211, kathryn.watson@fleishman.com