Free Shoe Shines Pay Homage to Those Who Make Our Country Proud

Cleveland (PRWEB) October 22, 2006

As a gesture of thanks to those who make our country shine, shoes across America will soon get a makeover when Boy Scouts partner with Buff ‘n Shine, the nation’s number one selling automated shoe care product, to offer free shoe shines in cities across the nation. Timed to coincide with Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2006, scouts and shoe shine teams from New York to San Diego will honor veterans, police officers, politicians and businessmen and women with free Buff ‘n Shine shoe shines, donating all tips to local and national veterans’ causes.

“Well-maintained shoes are an important part of everyone’s image, but are vital to members of the armed services, safety forces, business community, and others who make our country great,” said Douglas Whitner, president of Buff ‘n Shine. “As a gesture of our gratitude and pride, we are giving back to by doing what we do best at Buff ‘n Shine,” Whitner added. We hope others will be inspired to do the same.”

Buff ‘n Shine has organized events in seven cities throughout November, including Chicago, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio and San Diego. Boy Scouts and Buff ‘n Shine street teams will polish the shoes of:

• Thousands of veterans marching in New York City’s Nations Day Parade and San Diego’s Veterans Day Parade as they prepare for the parade kick-off
• Hundreds of dignitaries attending a New York City Veterans Day ceremony, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a former Eagle Scout
• Cleveland-area veterans, active duty service officers, police officers, firefighters and EMS responders participating in a medal of honor ceremony at Cleveland City Hall
• Chicago-area veterans and community members celebrating Veterans Day at a Chicago’s Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and public servants working at the James R. Thompson/State of Illinois building
• Thousands of businessmen and women from the busy streets of New York City to the business-populated Jacksonville Landing to the heart of San Antonio’s Houston Street and Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square
• Countless Americans shopping at Wal-Marts in select cities nationwide

For shoe shines in just minutes, all scouts and teams will use the Buff ‘n Shine, an automatic, hand-held shoe polisher that results in a professional-looking shoe shine without messy hands or cloths.

For those who want to treat a hero in their own lives -- a dad, recent grad or traveling coworker, perhaps -- the product is available in two versions at Wal-mart stores nationwide, including a:

• Standard Buff ‘n Shine polisher that provides dozens of shines on one set of AA batteries (included), retailing for $9.99
• Buff ‘n Shine Shoe Care Kit, including a Buff ‘n Shine polisher, two KIWI® polishes, a replacement buffer, a replacement brush and a travel case, retailing for $19.99

Anyone can enter to win a free Buff ‘n Shine gift set beginning Oct. 27, 2006, at http://www.buffnshine.com, delivered in time for the holiday season.

Buff 'n Shine™, the number-one selling automatic shoe polisher in the country, was engineered by Cleveland-based Nottingham Spirk Design Associates, one of the nation’s leading product innovation and design development groups. Nottingham Spirk’s efforts were backed by Consumer-Innovation Partners (CIP), a Cleveland-based private equity fund that brings innovative consumer products from concept to market. Buff ‘n Shine production and marketing is lead by Douglas Whitner, president. For more information on Buff ‘n Shine, visit http://www.buffnshine.com.

Editor’s note: For more information about the events planned in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Antonio and Jacksonville or to interview Douglas Whitner, Buff ‘n Shine president, please contact Jodi O’Neill at 216.912.2846 or Alicia Gauer at 216.912.2846. Images also are available upon request.

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