Snow Sports Industry Donates 5,000+ Pounds of Winter Apparel to Hurricane Sandy Relief

SnowSports Industries America (SIA), the snow sports industry’s member-owned trade association, partnered with New York City-based charity Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) earlier this month to distribute winter apparel donations provided by the snow sports industry to hundreds of children in the Rockaways in Queens, New York at two separate gatherings —the “Winter in May” celebration and “All-In” Skateboard Event. The estimated value of documented donations from the 69 donor companies and individuals exceeded $100,000.

Representatives from the snow sports industry united during the 2013 SIA Snow Show in January and collected upwards of 5,000 pounds in winter apparel for the children and families impacted by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. The New Year New Start Sandy relief program was created in response to the lull in aid to Sandy victims heading into the New Year.

“Collecting new winter apparel was a great way for the industry to use its unique resources to impact the lives of these children,” said Tom McGann, president and CEO of Spyder, the company that spearheaded the New Year, New Start program.

Six months after the storm, many of victims’ needs are still unmet. “It is never too soon to be prepared for cold weather,” said Chris Blake, president of K.I.D.S, “Especially for these families who have lost everything. While they’re still in the midst of rebuilding, processing insurance claims and navigating impassable streets, they at least don’t have to worry about how to prepare for next winter.”

The first distribution event celebrating “Winter in May” happened at the Far Rockaway Community Library on May 10. About two hundred families received winter clothing on a first-come, first-served basis and enjoyed Sno-cones being served to keep with the winter theme.

On May 14th, the “All In” Skateboard Event was held at the Queens Library for Teens, where athletic and skate shoes were distributed to hundreds of kids from the Rockaways, many of which SIA members contributed. The evening giveaway had refreshments, music and dancing to celebrate the coming of summer.

“Thank you so much for the generous donation,” said Kim McNeil-Capers of the Queens Library for Teens. “Your donation made an immediate difference in the lives of the youth in the Rockaway community.”

Visit Snowsports.org for a complete list of New Year New Start donors.

– 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 a non-profit member-owned trade association that works year-round with North American snow sports suppliers, retailers, reports, reps and service providers to develop products and programs that support their individual and collective business needs. With member support and industry participation, SIA annually hosts the industry’s largest core winter sports trade show, the SIA Snow Show, along with the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest and the Sourcing Snow supplier show. SIA also helps retailers and resorts connect with snow sports participants around the country through Snowlink.com and Wintertrails.org.