The footwear brand, a leader in the retail sector and in the production of footwear at an international level, celebrated  the Bata Founder’s Day on 21 September: a special day dedicated to the birth of the company – founded by siblings Thomas, Anna and Anthony Bata in 1894 -, but also to the values and results that have made the Group one of the world’s leading players in the footwear sector. Always attentive to people’s quality of life, Bata has also chosen to promote solidarity initiatives on the occasion of Founder’s Day, celebrating the meaning of “OneTeam” in the brand’s offices and shops around the world. With this in mind and throughout the month of September, the various countries organised events linked to the Bata Children’s Program, the programme with which, since 2011, the Bata Group has been supporting more than 400,000 children in reaching their potential, actively collaborating with local people and institutions.

For the occasion, the Group also announced its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages International, the world’s largest organisation committed to ensuring that children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it grow up with the care, relationships and support they need to become strong individuals. Bata’s role in Italy is also important.

In Padua in particular, the brand has launched a charity activity with the Cooperativa Vite Vere Down Dadi, which supports and sustains children with Down syndrome and affected by forms of autism and intellectual disabilities.

On the occasion of the Bata Founder’s Day , Long Service Awards were presented to Bata and AW Lab employees who have been in service for at least 25 years, and prizes were awarded to the volunteers most active in promoting initiatives linked to the Bata Children’s Programme.