For the 11th year, The Friendship Foundation and Skechers are partnering up in support of education and children with special needs. The annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk will be Sunday, October 27.

The Friendship Foundation is an organization where children and young adults with special needs can participate in activities such as bowling, arts and crafts and summer camps.

“It gives awareness to those who are not involved in the special needs community, how beautiful and special each individual is,” senior Emmy Rener, an avid volunteer with the foundation, said.

Many students at Palos Verdes High School spend afternoons at the Friendship Foundation office building relationships with those attending programs at the organization. “My cousin is special needs and it means a lot that there is a place like this where he can go and hang out and just feel welcomed,” junior Emily Drawer said.

The Pier to Pier Walk is a large fundraiser with the proceeds going towards the Friendship Foundation and six surrounding school districts in the South Bay. The event is a 3.5-mile walk from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Beach Pier. As participants walk, local schools’ cheer and song teams support the walkers. As the participants approach the finish line, they receive medals for their accomplishment.

The Pier to Pier Walk has a goal of increasing educational opportunities for children with special needs and schools in the South Bay, but the large fundraiser does more than raise money. It brings together people from around showing their support in these causes.