MARCHING.COM: PepWear partners with National Relief Charities to remember Native American youth

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX AND RAPID CITY, SD, August 24, 2009 — This week, PepWear donated 12,000 brand new t-shirts and hoodies to National Relief Charities, a nonprofit dedicated to quality of life for Native Americans living on poverty-stricken reservations. A domestic charity, NRC welcomed the goods and picked up the cost of shipping.

PepWear attends more than 800 events across the U.S. each year to recognize and celebrate students' achievements. They do so by offering commemorative t-shirts, hoodies, plaques, jewelry, and other items. They also screenprint and embroider custom apparel and promotional items for schools, non-profits, and businesses. True to spirit, PepWear contributes a portion of their annual revenue to support groups that promote youth achievement.

When asked why they chose to donate the t-shirts and hoodies to National Relief Charities, PepWear President Craig Johnson said, "In the past, we have donated to charities such as the American Red Cross for flood victims, homeless shelters, and Veterans' hospitals. PepWear is committed to celebrating student achievements, and when we learned that National Relief Charities had the distribution system and partnerships in place to deliver the shirts to deserving youth in Native American communities, we knew it was a perfect fit."

Johnson feels the t-shirts and hoodies are also a perfect fit for Native American students starting off the school year. In remote reservation communities, the kids are always excited to have clothing they like and want to wear. According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Census reports, from 30 to 43% of Native American children are living in poverty. Only 11% of American Indians finish college, and the high school dropout rate is 30 to 70%, depending on the reservation. This is partly due to lacking sufficient resources such as school supplies and clothing. PepWear wanted to make a difference for them, and NRC shares their sentiments.

To learn more about PepWear, visit www.PepWear.com. For more information about National Relief Charities, see www.nrcprograms.org.

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PepWear partners with National Relief Charities to remember Native American youth