Tennessee Youth Organization Wins $25,000 Grand Prize in Bridgestone Fuel the Cause Contest

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Abigail's Plan, a baseball league for people with disabilities, is now one step closer to reaching its fundraising goal for the construction of a rubberized field. Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) today announced the non-profit organization is the winner of the second annual Fuel the Cause neighborhood transformation contest. The organization will receive a US$25,000 gift from Bridgestone, the world's largest tire and rubber maker.

"This year's Fuel the Cause program was another great success with 12 noteworthy groups making it to the final round," said Erik Seidel, vice president of brand marketing, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. "We are excited to see Abigail's Plan bring a rubberized field to Tennessee to help bring its team members a far better experience during game play. Congratulations to Abigail's Plan supporters and players and many thanks to all who voted and participated in the contest."

The prize win will help Abigail's Plan build Tennessee's first Miracle League rubberized field. Playing on a regular field with a grass and dirt surface is often very difficult for disabled players with walking issues. The dirt and debris from the field surface gets into the brake systems of the wheelchairs and walkers and causes damage to this expensive equipment.

Fuel the Cause is designed to foster game-changing innovation in local communities and identify educational, environmental, safety and other community-based initiatives that would benefit from a transformation funded by Bridgestone. In the 2015 contest, more than 182,000 public votes were cast through the Bridgestone Fuel the Cause online portal.

This was the second year for the Bridgestone Fuel the Cause contest. To enter the contest, consumers were asked to submit photos and a 500-word essay describing their project and explaining how contest prize money would be used to transform their initiative. The entry with the highest number of online consumer votes was selected as the grand-prize winner.

The following organizations also received prize money from the program:

• First Place: Rescue Team Needs Building, Escanaba, Michigan
• Second Place: Thayer Acres Agriculture Center, Thayer, Kansas
• First Runner Up: The Gift Of Music: Shared for a Lifetime, Garrets, South Dakota
• First Runner Up: Olympia Pacesetters 4-h Club's Helping Hands Community Center and Stanford Sprouts Community Garden, Stanford, Illinois
• First Runner Up: Pantry to Empower, Lyman, South Carolina
• Second Runner Up: Schuyler County Council on Aging, Lancaster, Missouri
• Second Runner Up: Cub Manufacturing, Madison, Indiana
• Second Runner Up: Livingston Outdoor Adventures Inc., Moncton, New Brunswick
• Third Runner Up: Eastland Backpack Program, Eastland, Texas
• Third Runner Up: Custom Canine Service Dog Academy, Madison, Wisconsin
• Third Runner Up: Casa Boricua Program Space Revitalization Project, Meriden, Connecticut

For additional information about ongoing sustainability efforts and programs throughout Bridgestone Americas, visit www.bridgestoneamericas.com.

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:
Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies are also engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produce air springs, roofing materials, and industrial fibers and textiles. The BSAM family of companies also operates the world's largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its One Team, One Planet message, the company is dedicated to achieving a positive environmental impact in all of the communities it calls home.

SOURCE Bridgestone Americas

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