FORT WORTH, Texas — The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation announced in a press release a multi-year commitment to operate a special train to help raise funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of America in communities across BNSF’s rail system.
The long-term fundraising partnership, which will begin in 2002 on BNSF’s Southeast Division, was announced today at news conferences in Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn.; and in Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri.
The primary fundraising vehicle for the Boys & Girls Clubs partnership will be a passenger train called the “BNSF Special,” which will consist of vintage, restored BNSF passenger rail cars. The 2002 BNSF Special will offer a total of five train trips, one for each of these southeastern cities, that local Boys & Girls Clubs will use to help raise funds between May 30 and June 12.
In addition, The BNSF Foundation has pledged donations totaling $75,000 to the Boys & Girls Club organizations. Of that total, $25,000 will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America national organization. The BNSF Foundation has also pledged to match local contributions to the BNSF Special of up to $10,000 for local Boys & Girls Clubs in each of the five southeastern cities.
“The BNSF Special represents a further commitment from our railroad and the BNSF Foundation to Boys & Girls Clubs and to young people in the communities we serve, especially those that are disadvantaged,” said Matthew K. Rose, BNSF’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Each year thousands of BNSF employees participate voluntarily in community activities and the BNSF Foundation makes hundreds of grants to support the work of these employees and of other charitable causes in the 28 states and two Canadian provinces in which we operate. The 2002 BNSF Special will help us build on that tradition in a unique way by also sharing some of the romance and nostalgia of our company’s past with a new generation,” Rose said.
Richard A. Russack, president of the BNSF Foundation, said, “Boys & Girls Clubs of America was selected because of the quality of the organization, and for the opportunities for partnership on a national level. The BNSF Foundation has supported this organization in many communities along the railroad’s network and is enthusiastic about the work Boys & Girls Clubs are conducting in local communities.”
“This generous additional donation on behalf of The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company is particularly important for local Boys & Girls Clubs because it focuses on a long-term commitment, providing an additional incentive for donors to give,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of America, President Roxanne Spillett. “Partnerships like this one are a real win-win because of the increased awareness created by the vintage train trips throughout the many communities served by Boys & Girls Clubs and BNSF.”
The train rides the BNSF Special will provide for Boys & Girls Clubs will begin operating in each of the southeastern cities on the following schedule.
6:00 p.m. May 30 — Springfield, Mo.
1:00 p.m. June 5 — Birmingham, Ala.
1:00 p.m. June 7 — Memphis, Tenn.
1:00 p.m. June 9 — Blytheville, Ark.
1:00 p.m. June 12 — St. Louis, Mo.
Each participating Boys & Girls Club will be provided with a total of 330 tickets for passengers on their designated trip onboard the BNSF Special. Boys & Girls Clubs will distribute or sell the tickets as they wish. A simultaneous luncheon or dinner will also be provided on board a special dining car on each train trip for up to 28 Boys & Girls Club donors or other supporters. The train trip is being provided by BNSF at no cost to Boys & Girls Clubs.
The 2002 BNSF Special will also be used to provide train rides to BNSF employees and their family members along the route as a special thank you for their service to BNSF, our customers and the communities we serve. BNSF has sponsored such special train rides for employees and their families on a different part of BNSF’s network each year, for the past several years. Tickets for employee trips are issued only to current, active BNSF employees.
The run of the 2002 BNSF Special, however, is the first time BNSF has expanded the role of the train to include other members of the communities BNSF serves.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org ) comprises a national network of 3,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 3.3 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” Clubs provide guidance-oriented programs on a daily basis for children 6 – 18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key programs emphasize character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.
A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI – news), BNSF operates one of the largest rail networks in North America, with 33,000 route miles of track covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a wide variety of customer transactions (www.BNSF.com ). The railway moves more intermodal traffic than any other rail system in the world, is America’s largest grain-hauling railroad, and hauls enough coal to generate more than 10 percent of the electricity produced in the United States.