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Bridgestone Firestone’s Akron Facility Adopts 280 Local StudentsBridgestone Firestone Teammates will Deliver Needed School Supplies to Local Elementary

Nashville, Tenn. (August 28, 2006) - The first day of school is usually met with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, but this year students at McEbright Elementary School in Akron, Ohio will have one less thing to worry about as they receive new backpacks filled with much-needed school supplies, personally-delivered by teammates from the neighboring Bridgestone Firestone facility.

“First, we are so grateful that Bridgestone Firestone came to us with this generous opportunity,” said McEbright Principal David Brown. “This support will help our teachers greatly in the classroom, will foster success among our students and will alleviate some of the pressure placed on parents to provide all the needed back-to-school supplies. I only wish every school had a chance to partner with a corporate sponsor like Bridgestone Firestone.”

On their first day of school, Wednesday, August 30, approximately 280 kindergarten through fifth-grade students will each receive a Bridgestone Firestone backpack containing pens, pencils, notebooks, art supplies and more. Additional money raised by teammates at Bridgestone Firestone’s Akron Technical Center will be used to replenish supplies throughout the year and provide support to students at the school whose family income is at or below the poverty line.

“We are extremely excited about our new relationship with McEbright Elementary,“ said Linda Lingelbach, materials development, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC. “The school is located about five blocks from the Akron Technical Center, and our teammates felt that this would be a great way to make a difference in our own neighborhood. In the future, we hope to further grow our relationship with McEbright and we look forward to additional opportunities to serve the deserving students and faculty at our neighboring school.”

The Akron location is the third Bridgestone Firestone facility to adopt a neighboring school-- Firestone Agricultural Tire in Des Moines, Iowa will begin its second year of sponsorship this year with Longfellow Elementary School and the company’s LaVergne, Tenn. plant has an ongoing partnership with the John Coleman Elementary School. Teammates in Des Moines and LaVergne have held similar Back-to-School drives, and have also volunteered their time reading to students and working to improve the schools’ facilities.

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.