New Youth Ambassador Team to Run Grassroots Campaign for Cooper Tire’s Tread Wisely™ Tire Safety Initiative

04 Mayo 2017, 16:52 PM EDT

FINDLAY, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fourteen teens and young adults from across the country have been chosen
to serve as ambassadors for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’s Tread Wisely™
program, the company’s signature philanthropy cause focused on tire and
vehicle safety for teens and young adults. For the effort, Cooper has
teamed with the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) to
appoint the student ambassadors who will spread tire safety knowledge
among their peers through grassroots efforts.

Students chosen as ambassadors for the 2017-2018 term include:

Crystal Battaille – Crystal is a native of Miami and a student
at South Broward High School. She participates in the Human Relations
and Technology Club, Community Emergency Response Team and serves as a
teachers’ aide.
Thomas (Tommy) Brennan – Tommy is a resident of Howell, New
Jersey. Currently a student at Colts Neck High School, he is active as
a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), the Police
Athletic League and Junior State of America.
Tamia Catoe – Tamia is a native of Laurel, Maryland, and a
student at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. She takes
an active role in church, enjoys spending time at Star Studio dance
facility in Laurel and has served as a volunteer for the NOYS Youth
Interactive Traffic Safety Lab.
Craig Collins – Craig is a native of Cookeville, Tennessee, and
a student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is active in
student government and as an executive member of Sexual Empowerment
and Awareness at Tennessee (SEAT).
Christian Davell – Christian is a Kettering, Ohio, native and
graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School. He is an active member of
the Kettering Arts Council and the Driving School Association of the
Americas.
Bryan Delaney – Bryan is a native of Easthampton,
Massachusetts, and currently studies at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New
York. Bryan is an active member of NOYS, where he has served as an
intern supporting Tread Wisely, as well as SADD. He has also served as
an intern for the In One Instant Teen Safe Driving Program.
Shelby Griffith – Shelby is a native of Maysville, Kentucky,
and is currently enrolled at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio.
She has been actively involved in the Georgetown High School FFA
chapter as well as the Brown County 4-H CARTEENS vehicular safety
program.
Izabella (Izzy) Lileas – Izzy is a resident of Lordstown, Ohio,
where she is a senior at Lordstown High School/Trumbull Career and
Technical Center. She is a member of the Lordstown High School
basketball team and the Business Professionals of America (BPA).
Chantalle Lopez – Chantalle is a native of Phoenix and is
currently a senior at University High School – Tolleson. She is an
active member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), dance team
and Model United Nations.
Spencer Mercado – Spencer is a resident of Mayaguez, Puerto
Rico, and a student at Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. He is
a past member of BPA and has interests in social media and photography.
Andre Ragel – Andre is a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, and
attends Lowell High School. He is a member of student council, BPA and
has served as a NOYS youth correspondent.
Juan (JJ) Salazar – JJ is a native of Mission, Texas, and
student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is a member
of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), BPA and
SADD.
Julia Schemmer – Julia is a Norco, California, resident and
student at the University of California, Riverside. She is active in
student government, serves as a contributing writer to the school
newspaper and is a member of Hillel International.
Annika Sidhu – Annika is a native of Prior Lake, Minnesota. She
currently studies at North Dakota State University in Fargo where she
takes part in University Chamber Singers, Phi Eta Sigma honor society
and serves as a resident assistant.

As part of their role, ambassadors will encourage young drivers to
activate their clubs, schools and organizations to take part in the
Tread Wisely Challenge. The challenge is a national, youth-led effort to
educate teens and young adults about tire safety and three simple
monthly tire checks – inflation pressure, tread depth and overall tire
condition. Participants can earn up to $500 in cash or prizes for their
school, club or organization by hosting an approved Tread Wisely
Challenge event and reporting the results.

To share the Tread Wisely Challenge and tire safety knowledge with their
peers, ambassadors will travel to youth conferences across the country,
including:

DECA National Conference, April 26-29 in Anaheim, California
Boys and Girls Club of America, May 10-12 in Dallas
BPA National Leadership Conference, May 10-14 in Orlando
SADD national Conference, June 25-28 in Tampa
FBLA National Conference, June 29-July 2 in Anaheim, California
NOYS Youth Interactive Traffic Safety Lab, October 16 in Washington, DC
National FFA Convention & Expo, October 25-28 in Indianapolis

“Cooper is excited to have these outstanding young people representing
Tread Wisely and sharing the three important monthly tire checks –
inflation pressure, tread depth and overall tire condition – with their
peers,” said Anne Roman, Cooper’s Vice President, Communications &
Public Affairs. “Tread Wisely was developed to speak to young drivers
through channels they use, and this peer-to-peer interaction will
enhance this effort. We are excited to see the impact this group will
make in spreading Tread Wisely from coast to coast across the country.”

Anita Boles, Chief Executive Officer of NOYS, added, “NOYS has seen
great success in the past with youth-led efforts like the Tread Wisely
ambassadors. This is a group of some of the most motivated and
accomplished youth leaders across the country, and they have a passion
for sharing tire safety knowledge. The impact they can make in educating
young drivers is limitless.”

To learn more about Tread Wisely, visit www.treadwisely.org.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is the parent company of a
global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture,
marketing and sale of passenger car, light truck, medium truck,
motorcycle and racing tires. Cooper’s headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio,
with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations
within its family of companies located in more than one dozen countries
around the world. For more information on Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com,
www.facebook.com/coopertire
or www.twitter.com/coopertire.

About NOYS

NOYS was originally founded as the Traffic Safety Collaboration, and for
its first 10 years was supported by funding from government agencies,
including the Department of Transportation. In 2005, NOYS became a
501(c)(3) organization and incorporated as the National Organizations
for Youth Safety, and has since grown to include over 80 national member
organizations. NOYS continues to maintain a strong focus in traffic
safety with support from government and business and industry, and has
expanded to include other safety areas such as injury
prevention, substance abuse prevention, and violence prevention.

About Tread Wisely

Formed in 2016, Tread Wisely was developed to support Cooper Tire &
Rubber Company’s signature cause of driver and tire safety among teens
and young adults. Cooper selected the National Organizations for Youth
Safety (NOYS) as a partner in this effort to educate and motivate young
people to take necessary precautions and important safety measures when
it comes to their tires and driving. Tread Wisely shares driver and tire
safety messages through social media channels such as Facebook,
Twitter
and Instagram,
www.treadwisely.org,
special youth-directed safety events, and on the ground in communities
across the United States.

Contacts

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Megan James, 419-424-4251
majames@coopertire.com