Shane Anselmi, Managing Director of Merchant 1948.
Merchant 1948 (formerly Overland) is a New Zealand owned business that wants to make a difference in our communities and has been working on a charitable initiative with its Deuce Generation label. Since late 2013 $5 from every full price pair of Deuce Generation sneakers sold has been donated to their Young Hearts Project charity initiative and this month the total amount donated tipped a huge $600,000. “I don’t know where time goes… When we launched the Young Hearts Project back in late 2013, every dollar raised seemed momentous – so I can’t believe we’ve now reached $600,000 thanks to our loyal customers. We truly couldn’t have done it without them!" says Managing Director Shane Anselmi.
All the money raised by the Young Hearts Project goes to Merchant 1948's giving partners Great Potentials (driving their Junior MATES mentoring programme) and Youthline which enables both groups to provide vital support for young Kiwis. "I grew up in New Zealand, and raised my own family here, so the issues faced by the next generation are incredibly important to me," adds Shane Anselmi. "Right from the start, we wanted to make it easy to give back, so since day one we’ve been donating $5 from every pair of full priced Deuce sneakers sold; it’s customer purchases that have helped us raise this signifcant amount. Naturally we want to raise even more, so we’re launching our new YHP pins – with all the proceeds going towards the Young Hearts Project. Thanks to our customers, from myself and everyone they’ve helped.”
We're always pleased to see fashion companies supporting the community and if you want to help support the Young Hearts Project Deuce Generation sneakers are available in all Merchant 1948 stores and online.
Images supplied. Deuce Generation campaign imagery by Stefan Haworth.