Toyota of Mississippi Wraps up five-year revitalization project

TOMBIGBEE, Miss. (WCBI) Toyota of Mississippi wrapped up a five-year commitment to enhancing Tombigbee State Park near Tupelo.

The volunteers fanned out to do the finishing touches on the five-year revitalization project at Tombigbee State Park, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s as a way to give men work during the depression.

They did landscaping around the children’s playground equipment, and they laid sod near the lodge. This volunteer effort is part of National Public Lands Day. Sean Suggs is President of Toyota, Mississippi.

“It’s been a great ride. I tell you five years ago when we made this announcement almost a quarter of a million dollars to come out here and help this hidden gem. We had dreams, but I tell you, coming out here today to see it all come to be it’s really exciting,” said Suggs.

Suggs says the first year they had 700 team members come out and volunteer, and this final year he says they had 660.

“So our team members have been committed every single year to come and make this place better, and it’s been phenomenal,” said Suggs.

And Park Manager Jeff Rosamond says Toyota volunteers have brought life back to the park.

“The park is 81 years old this year, so we’ve got a little age on the park, but it looks like with our partnership with Toyota the last five years has really just it brought it back to life when it seems like the park was really showing it’s age, but now it just seems like you just look around we look like a new park, not a park that’s eighty-something years old,” said Rosamond.

Site manager Sean McCarthy says volunteers demonstrated the same kind of teamwork, that is standard every day in the plant.

“A lot of changes to the park. A lot of local people and even the people that come visit at the park, the regulars that come they’re just amazed at the job that we’ve done. I just as the project coordinator if you will for this, it just warms my heart to see everybody at our plant just jump in and help wherever they can,” said McCarthy.

One team member who was not afraid to get dirty was Bangie Jabil, who immigrated from the Philippines.

“Ah, it’s really a good experience for me, you know, helping the community for Tupelo. It really feels good, and this is a big community service for our company,” said Jabil.

And another partner in this weekend’s event was Special Olympics of Mississippi.

“Toyota is our torchbearer sponsor which is the highest level of sponsorship for the entire state to support the athletes of Special Olympics Mississippi. We have about 6-thousand athletes all over the state, and we were invited to come out here today and play bachie ball with some of the Toyota employees. We have athletes here who actually help volunteer and get in some flower beds today, so it’s just been a great experience,” said Monica Daniels

And even the team members children were part of this weekend’s festivities.

Toyota says it is not yet ready to announce its next National Public Lands Day partner except to say it will be from the Pontotoc, Union, or Lee County PUL Alliance area.