Posted on March 16, 2011 by Sarah Murphy We often report on the sad circumstances facing homeless kids and their families, but this is one story we’d like to share that highlights the inspiring things young people are doing today to help the less fortunate. “Teens for Jeans” organized by DoSomething.org and Aeropostale successfully collected more than a million jeans over the past four years for homeless children. The Coalition was one of their beneficiaries, and we are extremely grateful to all of those who kindly made this effort possible and helped clothe hundreds of our young clients. Aeropostale and DoSomething.org Collect Over One Million Jeans for Homeless Teens Through 4th Annual ‘Teens for Jeans’ Campaign NEW YORK, March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Teens throughout the US and Canada joined forces in their schools and communities for teen retailer Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO) and DoSomething.org’s 4th Annual “Teens for Jeans” campaign. This year, 542,000 jeans were collected bringing the campaign’s four year total to over 1.2 million jeans collected for homeless teens. “It is amazing what teens can do when they join together to make a difference,” says Aeropostale’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Scott Birnbaum. “Teens for Jeans is the largest jean drive in the world, collecting over 1 million jeans. We are thrilled to see our teens, store associates, and communities rally behind the fight against teen homelessness.” “Young people continuously impress us with their enthusiasm for helping their peers,” says DoSomething.org Business Development representative Brittany Castaneda. “Each year, the campaign’s popularity grows bigger, allowing our service to youth shelters to expand. ‘Teens for Jeans’ truly strengthens communities and shows the upcoming generation of leaders’ commitment to a better world. The Hollywood community also rallied behind the cause. Spokespeople Matt Lanter and Jessica Lowndes (90210) were joined by Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Enrique Iglesias, Nikki Blonsky, Keri Hilson, Jay Sean, Nigel Barker, Kris Allen, Sara Canning (Vampire Diaries), the cast of ABC’s The Bachelor, Tia Mowry, the hosts of the G4 Network, JoJo, and more in lending their support and donating jeans. “This is such a powerful and far reaching initiative,” explains Matt Lanter. “I am thrilled to see how many jeans were collected in just four weeks and how many teens rallied behind this cause to make this happen. All jeans collected were donated directly to over 1000 homeless shelters and charities in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Over 4,590 schools ran jean drives nationwide. To celebrate their efforts, students who collected more than 500 pairs of jeans will receive a banner for their school and recognition on the DoSomething.org and Aeropostale web sites. Franklin County High School in Winchester, TN, which led donations by collecting 3692 pairs, will receive $5000 and a party for the school. Students at Franklin County High partnered with local businesses, media outlets, and even recorded their own PSA to promote the drive and collect jeans. To learn more taking action against teen homelessness, visit www.teensforjeans.com.
