Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) presented Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) with a $1 million check as part of its national cause marketing campaign, “Driving Great Futures.” The money raised will help BGCA support safe and productive after-school and summer spaces for kids and teens at clubs in communities nationwide, with the programming and resources they need to achieve a great future.
BSRO presented the check to BGCA at the company’s 2016 National Business Conference at the Hilton Americas in Houston, with youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston’s choir performing, as well as 2014-’15 BGCA National Youth of the Year Maryah Sullivan and BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark in attendance.
“At Bridgestone Retail Operations, we are committed to being the most trusted provider of automotive care in every neighborhood we serve, and I can’t think of a better way to give back than supporting and uplifting local youth,” said Stu Crum, president, BSRO. “Through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we are helping pave the way for great futures by providing these deserving kids with the programs and services they need to achieve their fullest potential.”
The “Driving Great Futures” partnership was launched on July 31, 2015, with all 2,200-plus BSRO stores – Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works – selling $5 value boks with tire and automotive service savings, and inviting customers to “round up” to the nearest dollar at checkout. The funds raised were used to support more than 4,100 Boys & Girls Clubs that serve more than 4 million young people annually through club membership and community outreach. Those customer contributions, collected through Dec. 31, 2015, coupled with donations from BSRO, totaled $1 million.
“We are proud to partner with Bridgestone Retail Operations for such an impactful cause campaign that will enable even more young people to achieve a great future,” said Clark. “Thanks to the commitment of Bridgestone’s network of stores, the funds raised will support valuable programming and resources to help the more than 4 million kids and teens that attend our clubs to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.”
“Driving Great Futures” aligns with BGCA’s national “Great Futures Campaign,” which calls attention to the crisis facing kids and elevates the role of out-of-school time in reversing negative trends in the areas of poor academic performance, obesity, drug use and youth-related violence. The “Great Futures Campaign” for America’s kids is mobilizing the nation in support of afterschool and summer programs that tackle these issues to inspire and empower more youth toward success.
