WEST POINT, MS – (Oct. 30, 2017) – If you build it, they will come…and play.
A dream became a reality for more than 700 kids in West Point, Mississippi as Yokohama Tire and KaBOOM!, along with approximately 200 local volunteers, banded together and built a brand-new, eco-friendly playground at Marshall Park on Oct. 28.
Many of the volunteers helping on the one-day build work at Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi (YTMM), the high-tech, one-million-square-foot plant in West Point.
“The new playground offers a fun, safe play area for children and their parents,” said Alan Holtschneider, director of marketing at Yokohama Tire Corporation. “It’s gratifying to bring joy and happiness to the community of West Point.”
West Point Mayor Robbie Robinson added: “Thank you Yokohama and KaBOOM! for building this incredible, vibrant new playground for the children of West Point. I’m sure the kids and their parents will love and enjoy it for years to come.”
Highlights of the playground build included the installation of new, brightly colored, environmentally safe “Cradle-to-Cradle”-certified playground equipment. Yokohama and KaBOOM! met with local parents and their children back in August to help design the playground and pick out color schemes and equipment.
“The kids really were the design experts,’” Holtschneider said. “Several of their ideas and apparatus choices were incorporated into the final design.”
This was the third playground collaboration with Yokohama KaBOOM! – the national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. The first two were built in Southern California and Rockland, Massachusetts.
“Hundreds of kids in West Point now have a great, safe place to play thanks to Yokohama Tire Corporation and the City of West Point,” said Lysa Ratliff, vice president, corporate partnerships of KaBOOM!. “I’m excited KaBOOM! was able to help provide a playspace where these kids can have fun, learn, explore and just be kids.”
About Yokohama Tire Corporation & Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC
Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) and Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC (YTMM) are part of Yokohama Corporation of North America (YCNA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires that’s celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017. YCNA oversees all Yokohama-related operations in North America, including sales and marketing, manufacturing, technical development, long-term corporate planning and investment.
YTC services an extensive sales network throughout the U.S. and is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
Connect with Yokohama Tire Corporation:
www.facebook.com/yokohamatirecorp
www.youtube.com/user/yokohamamotorsports
www.instagram.com/yokohamatire
Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Tire Care & Safety” section at www.yokohamatire.com.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open, or improve more than 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 8.5 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters and why cities are embracing #playability: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
About West Point, Mississippi
With a population of approximately 11,122, West Point is the county seat of Clay County, Mississippi. It resides on the fertile northeast “black prairie” region of the state and had its early beginnings as an agricultural and railroad town. West Point is also located at the apex of the “Golden Triangle” which is comprised of the cities of West Point, Columbus and Starkville. Two major universities, a community college, an extensive industrial base, an excellent regional airport, international port access via the Tenn-Tom waterway, and the rich farm land, have made the Golden Triangle one of the state's fastest growing areas. For more information, visit http://www.wpnet.org/index.php/home