Kids pose with Greg Olsen, Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Marko Ibrahim at TEU Summit 2023
NASHVILLE—So exactly what do the world's second-largest tire manufacturer and the NFL's elite tier of tight ends have in common?
If you guessed a need to support youth literacy in regional areas, you would be correct.
Bridgestone Americas and Tight End University, for the third straight year, linked up at Vanderbilt University recently to inspire tomorrow's leadership, as students from four local organizations and schools were invited to the TEU Summit.
The summit, conducted June 20-22, focused on "mindfulness and learning," according to Bridgestone.
"One of the most rewarding parts of TEU is giving back to the Nashville community, a place I also call home," said George Kittle, tight end for the San Francisco 49ers and co-founder of TEU. "We're excited to be working with Bridgestone for the third year in a row to help young people build solid foundations, and we hope this year's focus on literacy will make a lasting, positive impact."
Bridgestone and TEU also collaborated to support a $50,000 donation to the participating students organizations and schools to support literacy initiatives once the students returned.
Besides Kittle, Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) and Greg Olsen also attended the summit.
The three tight ends worked out a bit at the university field and afterwards attended a collaboration of students and Bridgestone representative to discuss the critical importance of reading.
"One of the most important ways young people can shape strong paths—whether they become football players or automotive technicians—is to read. It's a skill that we take for granted far too often," said Marko Ibrahim, president of Bridgestone retail operations. "We are thrilled to join forces once again with our friends at Tight End University to bring greater awareness to the power of literacy and help bridge learning gaps for youth here in Nashville and beyond."
With the news that the statewide average English language arts scores in May 2023 showed that 60 percent of public school third-grade students are at risk of being held back, Bridgestone and TEU took an increased focus on reading and comprehension this year.
Bridgestone said the important three-day interaction in Nashville fits with the company's E8 Commitment, particularly with the "empowerment" and "emotion" tenets.
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