Worldwide Recess Day Celebrates Play around the Globe on September 14th

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Friday, September 14th KEEN, Inc., the manufacturer of hybrid outdoor casual footwear, bags and socks, invites everyone across the globe to go outside to play for 10 minutes on Worldwide Recess Day. This global celebration comes at a time when people are stressed out, always online and increasingly sedentary.  KEEN wants to help people shake off a hectic world by reclaiming fun in their lives.

With the 2^nd Annual Worldwide Recess Day, KEEN ignites the Recess Revolution and sets out to establish a record for the most number of recesses taken in a single day.  KEEN is encouraging people to create their own recess by taking 10 minutes out of their day – to get outside and get moving. In addition, many KEEN stores, offices and distributors around the world– in places from Germany and Canada to Japan and the USA – will hold recess activities such as four-square, hop scotch and tetherball. 

"We see Recess as a great way to get people to unplug and get active. Taking just a few minutes out of the day to play can help people build happier lives with fun and healthy habits," says Linda Balfour, KEEN's Recess Officer.

Worldwide Recess Day will be visible on social media channels through KEEN's  #take10 contest, which invites KEEN fans to post images of people taking Recess on sites such as Instagram or Twitter and tag them using "#take10".  KEEN will gather images into a single gallery page at www.keenfootwear.com and select an image every hour and award that fan with a pair of KEEN shoes. 

As an event within KEEN's Recess is Back initiative, Worldwide Recess Day highlights KEEN's passion for play and encourages people everywhere to join in. An online study conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of KEEN, Inc. in August 2012 among 943 U.S. adults who are employed full-time, revealed that 70% never or rarely took a 10 minute recess type activity break during the course of their day. Recent studies by the American Cancer Society and Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that prolonged sitting may shorten people's lifespan. Recess is Back is supported by the research of UCLA's Dr. Toni Yancey, which has proven that adults who take Recess are happier, have lower stress levels and are able to maintain a healthier work-life balance.

"With kids returning to school it's a great to time to encourage everyone at home, work or school to be happier and healthier," states Linda Balfour. "Recess is the perfect way to re-energize, de-stress and put fun back into your day."            

To learn more about how you can bring Recess back to your organization, visit recess.keenfootwear.com.

About KEEN

KEEN Inc., manufacturer of original hybrid footwear, bags and socks was founded in 2003. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, KEEN offers innovative hybrid products that enable outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy an active lifestyle. Known for its innovation and creativity, KEEN started with the invention of the first sandal that protects the toe – the Newport. Since its inception, the company has applied that same problem-solving design approach to expand its footwear collection and offer bags and socks. KEEN offers products that allow people to go anywhere: from trekking the wilds of the world, exploring a cool city, heading to work, or skipping to a playground down the street. KEEN's products are sold in specialty footwear, travel and outdoor retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains worldwide. In 2010 and 2011, KEEN was named one of "America's Best Places to Work" by Outside magazine. KEEN strives to demonstrate integrity and leadership while promoting a vibrant, inclusive community. Through its Hybrid.Care giving program, KEEN supports a variety of social and environmental organizations around the globe. Discover more about KEEN at keenfootwear.com, facebook.com/keeninc and twitter.com/keen. Discover more about Recess at recess.keenfootwear.com.

SOURCE KEEN, Inc.