“Sneakers and the City” Unveiled in NYC to Support 2007 Blue Planet Run

Posted June 13th, 2007 by MarkSteele

Celebrity-Designed Exhibit Supports Global Relay for Safe Drinking Water; Courteney Cox Arquette, Rosie O’Donnell, Rachael Ray, New York Giants and more!

New York City, June 1, 2007 – Millions of New Yorkers and tourists from around the world will be stopping in their tracks this summer to marvel at the newest addition to hit the Manhattan landscape today – giant sneakers that popped up overnight.

The "Sneakers and the City" public outdoor education exhibition brings together celebrities from film, television, fashion and sports to rally awareness and support for the inaugural 2007 Blue Planet Run®, sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW).

The auction is now live! Visit www.ebay.com/sneakersandthecity.

With a goal of drawing attention to the global water crisis, this city-wide exhibit features 3 feet by 5 feet running shoe statues designed by celebrity couples David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette; Laura Dern and Ben Harper; Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, as well as Lance Bass; Alan Cumming; Damien Fahey; Neil Patrick Harris; Heatherette; Chris Kattan; Christina Milian; Matthew Modine; Rosie O’Donnell; Rachael Ray; Denise Rich; AnnaSophia Robb; Amy Smart; Mena Suvari; the New York Giants and the cast of the FX Network TV show “Rescue Me.”

The appearance of the statues marks the start of the 2007 Blue Planet Run, the first ever around-the-world relay, an unprecedented quest of more than 15,000 miles through 16 countries in less than 100 days to promote the need for safe drinking water. The 20-person international athlete team begins its trek by departing today at 10:30 a.m. EDT from the lawn of the United Nations in New York City.

“I am proud to participate in this project to help decrease the impact of water-related diseases globally, which affects billions each year,” said "American Beauty” and "Six Feet Under" actress Mena Suvari. “Everyone involved is enthusiastic about helping to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives worldwide.”

The sneaker statues are located around Manhattan at sites including Time Warner Center, Chelsea Piers, South Street Seaport, Times Square and Randall’s Island.

Each celebrity designed a sneaker on behalf of one of the official Blue Planet Run athletes that would artistically interpret the individual runner’s commitment to the global water cause. To create the statues, each celebrity designer received a standard-sized sneaker along with art supplies and inspiration about the runner. The designs were then transformed into larger-than-life sneaker statues and placed all over New York City for the summer.

“This Run is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” said Heiko Weiner, an East-German-born Dow employee and runner taking part in the 2007 Blue Planet Run. “It is a privilege to take part in this historic Run and participate in this exhibit. I hope people everywhere will unite to help provide clean drinking water to people in need all over the world.”

When the Sneakers and the City exhibit concludes later this summer, a charity auction will be conducted on eBay with proceeds benefiting the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to ensuring every person in the world has access to safe drinking water. To learn more about the auction, visit www.ebay.com/sneakersandthecity.

Nearly one billion people or one-sixth of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water, making water-related diseases the single largest source of human illness in the world. Every 24 hours, an average of 6,000 people die as a result of digesting contaminated water. Money raised from the 2007 Blue Planet Run will go towards funding safe water projects globally. Because of Dow’s generous support, 100 percent of all donations to the Blue Planet Run Foundation are distributed directly to water projects.

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