Bridgestone Holiday Heroes wrapping party

It’s a wrap! Bridgestone Americas and Jackson® team up with Youth Villages to wrap gifts for former foster youth as part of Holiday Heroes.

Jan 22, 2024 | Blog

Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund and Jackson National Life Insurance Company (Jackson^®) helped raise $35,000 at Youth Villages’ annual wrapping party called Holiday Cheers, Beers & Volunteers benefiting LifeSet.

LifeSet provides transitional support to teens exiting the foster care system by helping them reach their housing, employment, education, and independent living goals. During the holidays, Youth Villages’ annual Holiday Heroes campaign provides wish list gifts for these young people, and other youth in their services, who would otherwise receive nothing. This year, with the help of corporate and community support, the campaign filled wish lists for 2,721 children, families, and young people in Middle Tennessee.

The annual “Holiday Cheers” wrapping party is a way to engage corporate and community volunteers to help wrap gifts for former foster youth in LifeSet. This year, volunteers from Bridgestone Americas, Jackson, and other local companies wrapped gifts for these 18-22-year-olds giving them presents to open during the holidays.

Earlier this year, Bridgestone Americas facilitated a professional development day for the LifeSet program by providing a tour of its downtown headquarters and discussing career opportunities within the company.

“Bridgestone is committed to supporting the communities we move, live, work, and play in,” said Wade Munday, Director of Corporate Philanthropy and Social Impact.

Supporting organizations like Youth Villages that connect and mobilize resources while creating equitable access to opportunities for underserved or underrepresented populations is what really matters to our organization and strengthens Nashville as a whole.

- Wade Munday

We appreciate Bridgestone’s continued volunteer and financial commitment to the LifeSet program during Holiday Heroes.

In addition to the “Holiday Cheers” event sponsorship, Jackson fulfilled the wish lists for 30 local children and sponsored the LifeSet program’s holiday celebration along with the upcoming graduation event to be held in late May.

“We are excited to join Youth Villages again this year as they spread joy this holiday season. It is an honor to support the work they do to prepare young people for adulthood and help strengthen families in our communities,” said Niya Moon, Corporate Philanthropy Manager at Jackson.

Thank you to our sponsors for sending volunteers to wrap the wish list gifts for more than 300 young people in LifeSet.