AND 1 will give tickets to Community Groups that donate to Soles4Souls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


AND 1 Mix Tape® Tour Teams with Soles4Souls™ in Boston and New York
AND 1 will give tickets to Community Groups that donate to Soles4Souls

PAOLI, PA… 15 August 2006… Free tickets to the last two stops of the 2006 AND 1 Mix Tape Tour presented by Mountain Dew are up for grabs to community groups who donate shoes to the newly formed non-profit Soles4Souls. As a part of a mutual charitable initiative between AND 1 Basketball and Soles4Souls, community groups and non-profit organizations in the Boston and New York City metro areas will be eligible for tickets to the games at the TD Banknorth Garden on August 22nd and at Madison Square Garden on August 25th.

Soles4Souls is a newly formed non-profit organization that facilitates the distribution of shoes to the hurting people of the world. The Soles4Souls team provided relief effort for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims, netting over one million pairs donated for these two disasters. AND 1 is committed to help spread their message of hope and generate awareness of the Soles4Souls cause.

“We heard about Soles4Souls and wanted to get involved to help spread the word about what a great thing they are doing,” said Lisa Fusco, GM of the Mix Tape Tour property within basketball footwear and apparel company AND 1. “Giving back is a huge piece of what our AND 1 Mix Tape Tour is all about so what better way to get the community involved in these last two streetball games of the summer than to invite them out if they help the cause by donating shoes.”

Community and non-profit organizations in the Boston and New York metro areas can donate from one pair to 1000 pairs of new or used shoes to earn tickets to the AND1 Mix Tape Tour, the nation’s premiere playground basketball event. Participating organizations will be asked to ship donations to Soles4Souls and complete a donation form. AND 1 will distribute Mix Tape Tour tickets upon completion of the form and receipt of the shoes at Soles4Souls.

Wayne Elsey, founder, Soles4Souls said his organization is thrilled about the partnership with AND 1. “It’s great for our organization, being that we are new, to have the opportunity to partner with a footwear company like AND 1. The exposure we can get in these two large cities is only going to help our mission.”

For more information on the AND1 and Soles4Souls partnership or to get involved in earning free tickets please send an email to PR@and1.com or to paulw@soles4souls.org.

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About AND 1:
Founded in 1993, AND 1 makes basketball footwear and apparel for players with serious game. The company that first made its mark in the apparel industry with a line of “in your face” trash talk tee shirts now offers a complete product line for basketball players, including performance shoes, shorts, tees, sleeveless tees, pants, team uniforms, licensed collegiate gear, accessories and other products. Brand revenues have grown from $1 million in 1993 to more than $150 million in 2005. AND 1 footwear and apparel is sold in more than 130 countries around the world and worn by the New Zealand, Slovenian, Puerto Rican and Turkish national basketball teams. AND 1 endorsers include Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets), Rafer Alston (Houston Rockets) and Bobby Jackson (Memphis Grizzlies) as well as the world-renown streetballers the AND 1 Mix Tape® Tour players including Main Event, AO, the Professor and others. For more information, visit http://www.and1.com/. AND 1 is owned by American Sporting Goods (ASG).

About Soles4Soles:
Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which will be used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501©(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. For more information, visit http://www.soles4souls.org/or call 1-888-840-7074 or 334-863-6628.