Not only does YKK show concern for the environment, but many of our employees at our subsidiaries are finding ways to preserve the environment themselves. Two of our employees at our company, Tape Craft Corporation, each adopted a mile of highway in memory of their children. These two employees with the help of their families pick up trash and debris along their mile of highway in order to make an impact on their local environment and to honor their children. Here is their story of how they each adopted a mile of highway in memory of their children and the part that they play in helping to keep the highways clean in Oxford, Alabama.
Winfred Huddleston, the continuous dye department manager at Tape Craft, said that several years ago, he got the idea of adopting a mile of highway in memory of his daughter Kayla from Rickey Bryant, CD/finishing operator at Tape Craft who had also adopted a mile of highway in memory of his son, Jonathan Bryant.
“One of our long time employees, Rickey Bryant, adopted a mile in memory of his son years ago,” said Huddleston. “I pass by the sign that is in honor of Rickey’s son, Jonathan Bryant, on my way to work, and I was interested in doing the same thing to honor my daughter, so I asked Rickey how to go about setting this up.
“My family and I organize a monthly date and time to meet at the site where my daughter was killed in a car accident, and we get the word out to other friends and family through Facebook. We meet at the site and keep the area clean by picking up all the trash and debris that has accumulated over the month along this one-mile radius.
“Adopting this mile allows friends and family to get together once a month and honor my daughter, Kayla Huddleston, who was always big on being with her friends and family. This also allows us to give back to the community by keeping our highways clean.”
Commenting on adopting a mile of highway in memory of his son, Rickey Bryant, CD/ finishing operator, who recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the company, said, “My wife Elizabeth saw an article in the Anniston Star newspaper that talked about how some states were allowing individuals to adopt a mile of highway in an effort to promote clean roadways. We discussed the idea and contacted the State of Alabama to adopt a road where we were directed to the county because the road we wanted to adopt was a county road. We were told that although businesses and communities had adopted roads, we were the first to adopt a road in memorial to an individual.
“I pick up trash and debris on the road on a regular basis, and sometimes family members help me. I often drive down that road and pick up anything that is major, and we bag up the garbage and call the county for pick up. Although the part we play is small, it does make a difference.
“It gives me a great deal of joy to see my son’s name on the Adopt a Mile sign and know that I am also helping to impact the local environment.”
