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Bridgestone Retail Operations (Bridgestone), a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Driving Great Futures partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America with major donations, special giving campaigns and unique engagement opportunities for Club kids throughout the remainder of the year. The nationwide initiative has raised nearly $30 million to make out-of-school programming more accessible for over 300,000 Club youth and their families since 2015.
Yesterday Bridgestone kicked off the milestone year with a block party at Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee’s Andrew Jackson Clubhouse in Nashville, Tenn., where the company surprised Club kids and families with a new passenger van and presented BGCA with a $100,000 unrestricted operation grant to further support the organization’s mission. Former NFL MVP Cam Newton joined Bridgestone Retail Operations President Marko Ibrahim, Bridgestone Americas Vice President of Retail Operations Melissa Vaglio, Boys & Girls Clubs of America President and CEO Jim Clark and Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee leaders to inspire Club youth, hand out ice cream and play games.
Later in the year, Bridgestone will continue their Driving Great Futures anniversary celebration with activities including:
· 10 passenger van donations for 10 Clubs across the country in celebration of 10 years of partnership
· Bridgestone teammate volunteers teaching Club kids the importance of proper vehicle maintenance through the company’s Car Care Academy program
· Promotion of the launch of BGCA’s new “America Needs Club Kids” campaign in Bridgestone stores across the country
“When we began our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America 10 years ago, we could have never imagined the generosity it would inspire, or the number of lives it would impact,” said Marko Ibrahim, President of Bridgestone Retail Operations. “Boys & Girls Clubs provide enrichment opportunities and environments that can shape bright futures, and we are grateful for the contributions of our customers and the commitment of our teammates over the past decade to help ensure countless kids and teens have a reliable way to get there.”
“We’re proud to celebrate 10 years of partnership with Bridgestone,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Thanks to their support, more kids have safe, reliable access to the life-enhancing opportunities our Clubs provide.
In 2015, Bridgestone established its national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America with the mission of making out-of-school programming more accessible to Club youth and their families. Through donations collected at the company’s 2,200+ retail stores, Bridgestone has awarded more than 450 grants intended to address transportation-related needs, including maintenance and repairs of existing Club vehicles and the purchase of new vans, as well as to help bridge technology divides through the purchase of new computers and hotspots that support in-person Club programming, virtual classroom learning and other technology infrastructure needs.
For more information about the partnership, please visit BGCA.org/Bridgestone.