NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 16, 2006) - Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is helping send Middle Tennessee children to camp this summer. The Truck and Bus Tire division of the company donated 42 bus tires to the YMCA of Middle Tennessee for their Camp Widjiwagan buses. Each day throughout the summer, YMCA buses will carry about 450 Middle Tennessee children to Camp Widjiwagan, the 320-acre Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center “day camp” located just outside of Nashville, Tenn. Without daily transportation, many of these kids wouldn’t be able to swim, canoe, swing or frolic in the cool waters of J. Percy Priest Lake this summer.

Said Mark Weller, camp executive, “We are absolutely delighted with the new tires. We transport hundreds of kids twice a day, and we must do everything possible to ensure their safety and security. The new bus tires from Bridgestone Firestone help us do that.”

YMCA of Middle Tennessee recently acquired seven used school bus-type vehicles that seat up to 84 passengers. “When we bought the used buses, we knew replacing the old tires with brand-new bus tires was the right thing to do. Bridgestone Firestone stepped right up and made it so easy for us,” said Weller.

“This isn’t the first time Bridgestone Firestone has come to YMCA’s aid; it has participated in several campaigns for us,” said Weller. “We are very lucky that Bridgestone Firestone is such an active member of our community.”

One such recent – and fun – program is the Bridgestone Firestone Waterfront Park at Camp Widjiwagan that lets kids water ski, fish, wake board, sail, and enjoy pontoon and banana boat rides. The Waterfront Park was made possible by a contribution from the Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Bridgestone Americas family of companies, including BFNT.

Camp Widjiwagan creates summertime memories for over 30,000 Middle Tennessee boys and girls, ages 5 through 13. The camp opened in 1998. For more information on YMCA and Camp Widjiwagan, visit: www.ymcacampwidjiwagan.org.