New KaBOOM! Playground Built by YOKOHAMA
26 Jun 2016

ROCKLAND, MA – Thanks to Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC), the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of YOKOHAMA, thousands of happy kids in Rockland, Massachusetts ushered in summer with a brand-new, eco-friendly playground. YTC partnered with KaBOOM!, Sullivan Tire Co., the Rockland Park Department, Town of Rockland and Play Areas for Rockland Kids (P.A.R.K.) to build the playground in one day.

“We had more than 200 volunteers from the community join in on the effort to build the playground at Hartsuff Park,” said Alan Holtschneider, director of marketing for YOKOHAMA. “We’re glad our partners, especially Paul Sullivan and Sullivan Tire, were very active from the planning phase to seeing the project through. Everyone went the extra mile.”

The build is part of YTC’s ongoing partnership commitment with KaBOOM! – the national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get the balanced and active play needed to thrive. Once Rockland was identified as a potential build site, Holtschneider said Sullivan Tire Co. – a fixture in the area for more than 60 years and a company known for constantly giving back to the community – quickly jumped on board.

“What an amazing day for Rockland children and their families,” said Paul Sullivan, vice president of marketing at Sullivan Tire. “Many thanks to all the hard-working volunteers, to Yokohama and KaBOOM! for offering us this wonderful opportunity to support the town that we were founded in. Rockland is very near and dear to our hearts and the new playground will be a huge benefit to keeping kids active and healthy.”

Yokohama, Sullivan Tire and KaBOOM! met with local parents and their children months earlier to design the playground and pick out colour schemes and equipment for the kids to play on, including new, environmentally safe, “Cradle to Cradle”-certified playground apparatuses from Playworld Systems.

“Rockland was glad to provide the land and Park Department resources for the new playground,” said Allan Chiocca, Rockland town administrator. “This is an incredible addition to the recreation opportunities for children and families in Rockland.”

P.A.R.K. was instrumental in recruiting local volunteers for the build and contributing financially.  “The community really came together for this important project,” said Janelle Hussey, P.A.R.K. president.

Holtschneider said another build with KaBOOM! will be announced in the future.

“Thanks to YOKOHAMA, Sullivan Tire and our Rockland partners in helping us bring balanced and active play to kids,” said Lysa Ratliff, KaBOOM! vice president, corporate partnerships. “The work we do could not happen without the support of our incredible partners. Today was a total team effort.”

About Yokohama Tire Corporation

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tyres since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tyres for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications.