(c) 2004 - Boston Scholars Program, Inc. (a 501c3 nonprofit organization)
www.bostonscholars.org

Keds Partners With Boston Scholars at a “Cool” Halloween Party

Keds Cares Campaign Supports the Boston Scholars 2nd Annual Masquerade Party Fundraising Event for Underprivileged Kids

LEXINGTON, Mass., October 23 -- Taking a cue from their ad campaign titled "be cool," the Keds Corporation today announced their support of a cool event – the Boston Scholars 2nd Annual Masquerade Party, which is a Halloween costume fundraising party to benefit the Boston Scholars Program held at 9pm on Friday, October 27 at MANTRA in Boston.

This Masquerade Party continues the collaboration between Keds and Boston Scholars that began this summer, when Keds implemented a unique mentorship program -- "Keds Shadow Days" -- during which Boston Scholars spent time at the company's headquarters in Lexington, Mass., and "shadowed" staff members throughout their workdays to gain exposure to the day-to-day activities of a major corporation.

"We are thrilled to have Keds as a corporate partner supporting our annual Halloween costume party," said Mike Volpe, co-founder and member of the board of directors of the Boston Scholars Program. "It's refreshing to work with a corporation that shares our philosophy for not only giving back to the community, but also that will actively participate in programs and events to provide that support."

"Keds is excited to partner with the Boston Scholars Program, a great organization that is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to local students" noted Shawn Neville, president of Keds Corporation.

The Boston Scholars 2nd Annual Masquerade Party will be held on Friday, October 27 at 9pm at MANTRA at 52 Temple Place in Boston, Mass. Tickets are available in advance for $25 and at the door for $35, more information on the event and how to purchase tickets is available at http://bostonscholars.org/Bostons_Best_Halloween_Party_2006.html

Contacts:
Boston Scholars Program
Mike Volpe
info@bostonscholars.org
617.226.4618

Keds Corporation
Debra Fernandes
debra_fernandes@striderite.com
617.824.6471

About the Boston Scholars Program
The mission of the Boston Scholars Program is "opening doors through educational opportunity." The organization grants scholarships to meritorious, low-income Boston-area students who have demonstrated a pressing financial need. These students, known as "Boston Scholars," are then paired with mentors from the Boston professional community who guide the Scholars along their journey throughout high school and college preparation. To date, the Boston Scholars Program has helped over 30 Boston-area students with mentors, tutoring and pledges of over $150,000 in scholarships. For more information please visit: http://www.bostonscholars.org.

About The Keds Corp.
The Keds Corp. is a subsidiary of The Stride Rite Corporation, a company that markets the leading brand of high quality children’s shoes in the United States. Other footwear products for children and adults are marketed by the Company under well-known brand names including Keds, Pro-Keds, Saucony, Sperry Top-Sider, Tommy Hilfiger, Grasshoppers and Munchkin. Information about the Company is available on website – www.strideritecorp.com. Information about the Company’s brands and product lines is available at www.striderite.com, www.keds.com, www.saucony.com, www.ProKeds.com, www.sperrytopsider.com and www.grasshoppers.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This announcement includes forward-looking statements which reflect our current views with respect to the future events or financial performance discussed in the release, based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. When used, the words “believe”, "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "should", "expect", "appear" and similar expressions which do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are not guarantees of future events or performance, which may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, projected or implied. Factors that may cause such a variance include, among others: the opening of new stores may be delayed; the volume of anticipated sales may decline; revenues from new product lines may fall below expectations; the launch of new product lines may be delayed; new retail concepts may not achieve expected results; general retail sales trends may be below expectations; current license agreements may be terminated; consumer fashion trends may shift to footwear styling not currently included in our product lines; our retail customers, including large department stores, may consolidate or restructure operations resulting in unexpected store closings; and additional factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements.

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Click here to view pictures from the 2005 event.

Click here to see the invitation to the 2006 event and purchase tickets.