Bridgestone Retail Operations
Recognizing the significant challenges impacting today’s young people, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Bridgestone Retail Operations partnered to help drive great futures for more youth.
A Decade of Difference: Bridgestone Supports Boys & Girls Clubs
Bridgestone has been a proud partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 2015 through the Driving Great Futures initiative. With the generous support of Bridgestone Retail Operations’ customers and teammates, thousands of youth nationwide have gained access to high-quality, evidence-based out-of-school programming at their local Clubs.
Over the past decade, Bridgestone has contributed over $30 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This investment has played a vital role in expanding transportation resources—including van and technology grants, car care clinics, and more—helping ensure young people can safely and consistently access life-changing opportunities. Bridgestone’s unwavering commitment has been instrumental in empowering youth to reach their full potential.
Van & Transportation Grants
Bridgestone provides local Boys & Girls Clubs with van and transportation grants through an application process. Passenger vans are among the most vital resources a Boys & Girls Club can have, providing a solution to transportation challenges and enabling safe travel for young people to and from Club locations. These grants also enable Boys & Girls Clubs to provide more learning experiences for youth off site, such as field trips, college tours and other enriching activities.
Like Bridgestone’s van grants, transportation grant funds are essential for helping local Boys & Girls Clubs get youth safely to and from Club locations, deepening their impact in communities.
Driving Great Futures: How Bridgestone's Partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs Helps Youth Steer Toward Success
While traditional schooling establishes a roadmap for young people to gain knowledge, activities beyond the classroom are test drives and detours that teach young people how to navigate their world. Since 2015, Bridgestone Retail Operations has been a steadfast Boys & Girls Clubs of America partner in providing safe, reliable transportation for innovative experiences that help young people explore their potential.
Here’s how Club kids have been supported in driving toward limitless possibilities.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County
From ensuring attendance to school to providing rides the Space Needle, members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County have transportation to do both and so much more!
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco established a safe, efficient system of vehicles to provide thousands of Club members with access to vital programs in areas with limited public transit.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley
Young people at Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley safely travel from school to the Club each day where they can explore careers in STEM in the Imagine Science
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake
Youth and staff at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake shuttle to opportunities outside of their community to explore science, culture and creativity.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas
At Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, excursions to Perot Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas Museum of Art and Six Flags Over Texas allow kids to explore science, culture and creativity.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati
Youth at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati attend extraordinary educational, career development and community service opportunities.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio
Teens and pre-teens at Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio learned valuable skills in tire and vehicle maintenance.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula
During summer camp at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula, transportation enabled life-changing experiences like a weeklong Youth Sailing Virginia program. At the busy Greater Hampton Roads Unit, reliable vehicles were essential for managing conflicting schedules – allowing teen basketball teams to travel for games while younger members attended simultaneous field trips.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee established the first-ever digital Boys & Girls Club and empowered more than 2000 youth to learn coding, computer science and app design programs.
Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County
The van at Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County transported youth for community service, field trips and daily school commutes, particularly following Hurricane Milton.
Stories From Around the U.S.
Aria has been a Club kid since the age of 12. Bridgestone’s Great Futures Grant provided the van that allowed Aria to attend her Club consistently. The Club’s guidance and transportation also gave her access to vital college prep. Aria is currently pursuing nursing and computer science at Tennessee State University while working part-time at her Club. She credits her Club with inspiring her to become a nurse practitioner specializing in nursing informatics.
When a series of injuries devastated Kiara’s hopes for receiving a college basketball scholarship, she found a new way to pursue her educational goals through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. A Bridgestone grant provided the critical transportation Kiara needed to attend STEM camps, college tours and tutoring sessions. With this academic support, Kiara graduated high school as salutatorian with over 300 volunteer hours, was named Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas’s Youth of the Year, and ultimately graduated from the University of Texas. Kiara now plans to pursue a joint law degree and MBA.
Having experienced periods of housing insecurity throughout his childhood, Noah found a stable home base at his Club when he was five years old. The Club, supported by Bridgestone’s grants, provided him with daily rides to and from school, academic assistance, nutritious meals, clothing, holiday gifts and access to technology. Now at age 20, Noah has graduated from high school with honors, is a staff member at his Club and is pursuing higher education with a full scholarship.
With the Club’s new van, Jayla was able to cover Club basketball and volleyball games as her Club’s journalist. Jayla continued on to earn a journalism degree from the Ohio State University and is now a producer with the university’s news organization.
A van grant from Bridgestone helped teen members Makyriah and Charlean discover new opportunities in higher education. The van facilitated college tours at such institutions as Bethune-Cookman University, Lynn University and Full Sail University.
