Since this partnership began in 2002, Timberland PRO and SkillsUSA have worked together to engage more than 8,000 students, advisors and alumni who have served over 40,000 total hours improving the greater Kansas City community. Over the years, volunteers and SkillsUSA students have engaged in hands-on activities such as working with facilities for wayward teens, building homes, improving the condition of affordable housing developments, planting fruit and nut trees to build a new urban orchard in downtown Kansas City, serving at a Kansas City food bank, and revitalizing neighborhoods and parks with cleanup activities in the Kansas City area. As an official sponsor of the event, Timberland PRO will be providing funding as well as outfitting volunteers with shirts.

This year, volunteers will have the opportunity to pack up food at the Kansas City region's largest food bank, Harvester's; help with various gardening activities that are split between locations within walking distance of each other at Niles Home for Children;and, help fix and organize donated furniture in a warehouse and showroom for My Father's House, an organization that assists families in need.

All projects are developed according to the G.R.E.E.N. standard, which focuses on finding grassroots organizations committed to sustainability, reusing and recycling materials, engaging relative stakeholders, educating participants and forwarding Timberland's goal of carbon neutrality.

Leadership through civic engagement is a shared commitment of SkillsUSA and Timberland PRO. Students attending SkillsUSA's NLSC will improve and demonstrate their leadership abilities and trade skills throughout the week with a variety of contests and workshops.

For the past 11 years, Timberland PRO has hosted service events during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills conference to provide students hands-on opportunities. Students have applied their skills and provided a direct benefit to the Kansas City community. Timberland PRO embraces the objectives of the conference, and is proud to partner with SkillsUSA to support its efforts. Timberland PRO's support of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference is one of Timberland's ongoing efforts to encourage volunteerism and community service.

About Timberland PRO
Building on the Timberland heritage of craftsmanship and quality, Timberland PRO is recognized as an industry leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for working professionals who require the best comfort and protection on the job.  Timberland PRO embraces the company’s commitment of “doing well and doing good”–forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland PRO, please visit: www.timberlandpro.com. To learn more about Timberland, please visit: www.timberland.com.

About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA helps students discover and grow their career passions. As a nationwide partnership of students, instructors and industry working together, SkillsUSA works to ensure America has a skilled workforce. It helps every student excel. The nationwide career and technical education student organization annually serves more than 300,000 high school, college and postsecondary students—and their instructors—in technical, skilled, and service occupation instructional programs. Career and technical education is learning that works for America. SkillsUSA has the active support of more than 1,100 corporations, trade associations, business and labor unions at the national level. Over 11.2 million people have been annual members of SkillsUSA since its founding as the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America in 1965. SkillsUSA programs teach leadership, citizenship and character development to complement technical skill training. The organization emphasizes respect for the dignity of work, ethics, workmanship, scholarship and safety. For more information, go to: www.skillsusa.org.

For More Information:
Thomas W. Holdsworth, Director
Communications/Government Relations
703-737-0607 • FAX: 703-777-8999

Jane A. DeShong Short, Program Manager
Communications/Government Relations
703-737-0612 • FAX: 703-777-8999

Timberland PRO:
Christi Greco, Marketing Specialist