Merrell® Launches 'Shared Steps' Challenge With Big Brothers Big Sisters To Help Youth Experience The Simple Power Of Being Outside

ROCKFORD, Mich., Sept. 1, 2021/PRNewswire/ -- Merrell, the leading outdoor performance and lifestyle brand, is joining forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) to encourage friendly competition by tracking steps as a way to break down barriers and make the outdoors accessible to more youth. Tallying up all shared steps throughout the month of September, Merrell will donate $1 for every mile to BBBS (up to $40,000) to benefit local chapters and equip them with the resources needed to help kids experience the mental and physical benefits of the outdoors. Whether participants choose to walk, run, hike or simply get outside to move around, together shared steps can go further.

Participation in the Shared Steps challenge is easy! Simply register your everyday fitness tracking device or platform – such as an Apple Watch or FitBit – at Merrell.com/BBBS and start moving. At the end of September, Merrell will aggregate the total miles completed to determine its donation to BBBS. Twelve Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will win additional cash prizes and Merrell gear for BBBS volunteers and families.

"At Merrell, we believe that the earlier you experience the outdoors, the faster you benefit from the physical and emotional aspects the outside provides," said Adam Koepfer, Partnerships Manager at Merrell. "Our brand exists to share the simple power of being outside and having a trusted mentor to experience it with is an incredibly impactful thing for a young person. Through our Shared Steps challenge, we hope that communities will come together and step towards this joint goal, while benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters along the way."

Merrell recently entered into a multi-year partnership with BBBS to create life-changing connections for young people to experience the outdoors. The mentoring program pairs young people (called 'Littles') with caring adult mentors (called 'Bigs'), and with the support of its partners like Merrell, has been able to foster life changing connections for young people while presenting them with unique experiences. During the month of September, BBBSA and BBBSC are celebrating Big Brothers Big Sisters Month to generate awareness for the critical need of mentoring relationships to empower young people. Together, Merrell and BBBS are committed to breaking down the barriers to the outdoors that youth face while providing outside activities for Bigs and Littles to enjoy together.

"The simplicity of being outside isn't always as simple as it may seem, especially for young people who lack access. Getting to green space often requires transportation or other means that are not always attainable," said Adam Vasallo, Chief Marketing Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. "Through our ongoing partnership with Merrell, we hope to continue expanding the opportunities for all young people to be outside and have new experiences in an environment where they feel safe and welcome."

The Shared Steps campaign is an extension of Merrell's Step Further platform which launched earlier this year and was designed to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts to go a step further than they, or anyone who came before them, ever thought possible. Merrell is committed to making the outdoors accessible to all, and that includes the brand taking its own steps further to support more meaningful causes and meet the needs of new and diverse outdoor consumers.

As part of the campaign, Merrell is promoting the expansion of its top-selling hiking boot franchise, the Moab, in order to continue to meet the needs of outdoor consumers that are seeking trail-ready, athletic, and stylish footwear. Since its inception in 2007, the Moab hiking boot has been the gateway footwear to the outdoors for more than 20 million people around the globe.  The Moab Speed and Moab Flight, a light hiking shoe and trail running shoe that sit in the athletic outdoor hybrids category, are available on Merrell.com and at select retailers around the world.

For more information on Merrell's Shared Steps challenge or to register a step tracker, please visit Merrell.com/BBBS.

About Merrell
Merrell® exists to share the simple power of being outside. As the global leader in outdoor active footwear with the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell is focused on merging performance, styling, and comfort to empower all people to confidently explore the outdoors. Merrell is celebrating its 40^th birthday in 2021 with a mission to build an inclusive and sustainable outside environment for future generations to enjoy. Visit Merrell.com, the Merrell Newsroom, or follow us on social @Merrell.  Merrell® is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW), one of the world's leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform footwear and apparel.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters' evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters has 230+ local agencies serving more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. For more information, visit: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org. 

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Established over 107 years ago, the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is to enable life-changing mentoring relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides one-on-one and group mentoring services for more than 40,000 children and youth in 1,100 communities across Canada. Many young people face adversities in their lives, resulting in toxic stress that can negatively impact their development. With the support of a mentor, young people can overcome these adversities and develop the confidence to reach their full potential. Visit https://bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/ for more information.

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