Academy Sports + Outdoors Launches 9th Annual Holiday Bike Donation

HOUSTON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Sports + Outdoors today kicked off its 9th annual youth bike donation program. Each year, at least one store in every market where Academy Sports + Outdoors does business donates boys' and girls' bikes and helmets to select schools. Over the last decade, this donation has grown to more than 60 separate events in the Southeast. Each bike donation event includes 30 bikes and helmets (15 girls' bikes with helmets and 15 boys' bikes with helmets) for a total of over 1,800 boys' and girls' bikes and helmets.

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Participating schools and organizations select recipients based on a variety of criteria including exceptionally good conduct, academic achievements, reading contests and perfect attendance. The decision to award a bike is up to the individual organizations. Academy Sports + Outdoors stores and associates actively participate in the donations by assembling and delivering the bikes to the selected organizations as well as representing Academy Sports + Outdoors on-site at the donation events.

"Academy Sports + Outdoors is an active member of the communities where we do business, and the annual bike donation gives us an opportunity to give back to our customers," says Anita Sehgal, vice president of marketing and advertising for Academy Sports + Outdoors. "This year, we've increased the total number of bikes and helmets as we continue to encourage students to excel at school."

In total, Academy Sports + Outdoors will donate over $165,000 in brand new boys' and girls' bikes and helmets.

Additionally, Academy Sports + Outdoors has partnered with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, the New Orleans Saints and the University of Georgia Women's Basketball Team on bike donations. Academy Sports + Outdoors supports these organizations by providing groups the option to purchase the bikes and helmets at a discounted rate as well as assisting in the assembly of the bikes.

About Academy Sports + Outdoors

Academy Sports + Outdoors is a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer with a broad assortment of high quality hunting, fishing and camping equipment and gear along with sports and leisure products, footwear, apparel and much more. The Texas-based company operates 128 stores throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The Academy Sports + Outdoors philosophy is to deliver an unparalleled shopping experience by providing convenience, offering a broad selection of quality products, delivering exceptional customer service and selling the right stuff at every day low prices. For more information about Academy Sports + Outdoors visit academy.com.

SOURCE Academy Sports + Outdoors