(The Capital-Journal posted the following article by Amy Bauer on its websit eon May 23.)
TOPEKA, Kan. — About 320 children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Topeka will hop on buses May 30 bound for Emporia and an even more exciting ride — on the 2003 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Special.
“A lot of the kids have never been out of their neighborhood,” said Jon Farr, chief professional officer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Topeka. “It’ll be a real rich educational experience for them.”
The annual trip, featuring a combination of vintage, restored passenger rail cars maintained at the BNSF shops in Topeka, runs through a different area of the country each year as a treat for BNSF employees and to raise money for Boys and Girls Clubs along the way.
The train will pull away from Emporia at 1 p.m. May 30 and run for about an hour out and an hour back.
The BNSF Foundation has donated $25,000 to the national Boys and Girls Clubs organization and up to $10,000 each for clubs in cities on its route. During the next two weeks, the Special will run through Emporia, raising money for the Topeka club; Wellington, raising money for the Wichita club; Amarillo, Lubbock and El Paso, Texas; and Albuquerque, N.M.
Matthew K. Rose, a Salina native who serves as chairman, president and chief executive officer of BNSF, is the chairman of the southwest region of Boys and Girls Clubs. Topeka is part of the southwest region.
“We really appreciate that Mr. Rose made the opportunity available to the clubs,” Farr said.
BNSF provides the trip and tickets at no cost to the clubs. Some, including the Topeka club, sell a portion of the tickets to the public to help raise money for the nonprofit organization. Farr said the club is inviting a few year-round donors to participate in a special lunch on the train’s dining car.