Supports Coach Foundation partner, Step Up and its Mission to Empower Young Women
New York, March 24, 2017 – Yesterday, Coach, Inc., a leading New York design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, partnered with Selena Gomez to surprise two Los Angeles high schools with a special visit supporting the Coach Foundation’s initiatives to inspire and mentor teen girls to dream big. The surprise appearance of Gomez, the new face of the brand, with Coach’s CEO Victor Luis, raised awareness of Coach’s national charity partner, Step Up and its goal: empowering young women from under-resourced communities.
Selena Gomez said, “I am truly thrilled to be involved with Coach and their support of Step Up. Step Up’s mission to empower young women is personally important to me and something even more crucial in under-served communities. Working with the young women I met today was an inspirational experience I will never forget.”
Victor Luis, Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc., said, “We are honored to be here today with Selena Gomez to work with Step Up in its mission to promote confidence amongst teen girls. Step Up’s goal of empowering young women for a brighter future aligns perfectly with Coach’s purpose and values.”
In support of the Coach Foundation, the Coach brand was given the opportunity to visit with the teen girls actively participating in Step Up at two Los Angeles high schools: Alliance Margaret M. Bloomfield High School and Alliance Leichtman-Levine Environmental Science High School. While the girls were aware that Luis would be the guest mentor of the day, they were surprised by Gomez, who joined Step Up CEO Jenni Luke in leading the young women in a Step Up curriculum lesson designed to promote confidence and celebrate the global girl community. Today’s event marked one of the pillars of the overall commitment made by the Coach Foundation to enable Step Up to expand its reach and bring its after-school Confidence Curriculum and mentorship programming to a total of six cities, tripling the number of girls served annually by 2020.
About Coach: Coach, Inc. is a leading New York design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands. The Coach brand was established in New York City in 1941, and has a rich heritage of pairing exceptional leathers and materials with innovative design. Coach is sold worldwide through Coach stores, select department stores and specialty stores, and through Coach’s website at www.coach.com. In 2015, Coach acquired Stuart Weitzman, a global leader in designer footwear, sold in more than 70 countries and through its website at www.stuartweitzman.com.
About Step Up: Step Up believes all girls should have the opportunity and resources to fulfill their aspirations. Through after-school and weekend mentorship programs, the organization works to ensure girls in under-resourced communities graduate from high school confident, college-bound and career-focused. Step Up’s programs provide teen girls with four years of curriculum-guided social and emotional skill development, support from mentors, and access to opportunities that will help them envision and accomplish their ambitions.