Bridgestone Retail Operations, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, delivered the 100th passenger van of its Driving Great Futures program with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) on Oct. 27 in Austin, Texas. The van is part of a batch of 10 vehicles for clubs in eight U.S. states that takes the company past 100 vans donated since 2015, according to its announcement.
The contribution aligns with the centennial of Firestone Complete Auto Care, the enterprise’s network of maintenance facilities. These vans will transport youths and adolescents to and from their respective clubs, alongside excursions, university visits, and further developmental programs. Additionally, Bridgestone has committed to servicing the automobiles at its retail locations.
The 2026 recipients
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area — Austin, Texas (the 100th van)
- Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows — Reno, Nevada
- Boys & Girls Club of Lynn — Lynn, Massachusetts
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka — Topeka, Kansas
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove — Garden Grove, California
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin — Santa Rosa, California
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Texas — Greenville, Texas
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington County — West Bend, Wisconsin
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany — Albany, Georgia
A ten-year initiative
Bridgestone launched Driving Great Futures with BGCA in 2015. The program is funded by donations collected at the company’s stores and, beyond transportation, has paid for computers and mobile hotspots for in-person programs and virtual learning. Clubs receive the vans through an application process. In total, Bridgestone has contributed more than $30 million to the organization since then, a figure BGCA also reports.
Marko Ibrahim, president of Bridgestone Retail Operations, thanked the staff and patrons for this achievement, noting that transportation provides numerous youths with access to the clubs’ facilities.
Jim Clark, president and CEO of BGCA, stated that dependable transportation links youth to mentors and secure environments. Based on data from the organization, 97% of club youth and adolescents anticipate graduating from high school.
BGCA says its nearly 5,500 clubs serve more than 4 million young people across the United States and at U.S. military installations abroad.
