BNSF News

Employees' Generosity to Others Spans the System

2011-01-03

Throughout December, a number of groups reached out to provide comfort and support to others in their communities.

The following illustrates the generosity and compassion of BNSF employees.

Renton, Wash.

Employees in Renton, Wash., participated in a pizza feed fundraiser to support the Renton Child Care Center, which provides day care for low-income families. About 75 Intermodal ramp and maintenance employees raised $470 in the event, and all proceeds went directly to the child-care center just in time for the holidays.

The children prepared a banner thanking employees for their generosity.

About the photo: Children at Renton Child Care pose with a "thank-you" banner made for employees in Renton.

Memphis, Tenn.

Employees at the Memphis Intermodal Facility donated more than 100 toys to the U.S. Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots campaign. The campaign was led by Matt Talley (back row, center), BNSF supervisor, Ramp Operations, with help from his counterparts on other shifts. The Marines distributed the toys to needy families in the Memphis area.

About the photo: Employees at the Memphis Intermodal Facility pose with the toys donated for Toys for Tots.

Fort Madison, Iowa

Fort Madison, Iowa, Conductor Frank Bradish knows what it is like to serve in the military thousands of miles away from family, friends and other comforts of home.

"A GI's life is a lot of activity all at once, then a lot of downtime," said the Vietnam War veteran. "Anytime there was downtime, the boredom would set in. It was a lot easier to take when you came back to base camp and had a package to open."

Remembering how much a package or letter meant to him, Bradish wanted to do the same thing for Sgt. Juan Diaz, a locomotive engineer whose unit was activated to help train Israel's military on combat techniques for insurgent attacks.

Bradish solicited donations among colleagues and supervisors at Fort Madison to ship a package of food and powdered beverages to Diaz this summer. Bradish and co-workers sent two more packages around the holidays.

Managers at Fort Madison, Superintendent of Operations Clifford Brown and Road Foreman of Engines Jack Williams, agreed to help cover the packages' shipping costs.

"Then, we could use all the money we raised toward buying the items," Bradish said.

Diaz and his troop greatly appreciated the packages. Diaz sent an e-mail to Bradish thanking him and everyone else who contributed and wishing them a happy holiday.

"We can't thank you enough for taking the time and money to support us. So let all my BNSF brothers know that I said thanks," he wrote.

For Bradish, it was a small gesture to brighten the day for Diaz and others. "It makes you realize there's somebody at home thinking about you," he said.

About the photo: Fort Madison, Iowa, Conductor Frank Bradish, right, shakes hands with Road Foreman of Engines Jack Williams as he displays a plaque honoring Sgt. Juan Diaz, locomotive engineer, whose military unit was activated to Israel. Through contributions from employees and BNSF, Bradish sent three packages to Diaz and his troop.

BNSF and Intermodal Marketing

BNSF and Norfolk Southern (NS) worked with ABF to move two ABF trailers full of "care" packages for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BNSF moved the trailers, which were full of toiletries, games and reading material, from Seattle to Chicago. ABF then moved the trailers over to NS for transport to the East Coast and then to Iraq.

BNSF and Southern California

Santa Claus and his merry helpers rode the rails and distributed gifts to about 1,000 deserving children on the 20th annual BNSF Santa Claus Express train as it traveled through Southern California Dec. 18-20.

Children are selected for the free rides by the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, Starlight Foundation, Scottish Rite and City of Hope, among other organizations. BNSF employee volunteers hosted the children and helped Santa Claus deliver gifts and refreshments during each of the trips.

"At BNSF, we work with trains every day, but because of our special guests, the Santa Claus Express is a particular honor for our company and our employees," said Mark Kirschinger, general manager for the California Division. "An estimated 20,000 children have enjoyed the Santa Claus Express since it began 20 years ago."

Gillette, Wyo.

Employees in Gillette, Wyo., went all out for the holidays this year. Children of BNSF employees participated in the Parade of Lights in a float employees in Gillette made. This is the third consecutive year that BNSF has participated in the community event. Employees also decorated the depot and sacked candy for a special visit from Santa. Bill Montgomery, a brakeman at Gillette, stood in for Santa at the depot so that the children and grandchildren of BNSF employees had a chance to visit with him and receive a sack of goodies. Photos were also taken and e-mailed.

To reach further into the community, BNSF employees participated in a Secret Santa program created to help less fortunate children. For the seventh consecutive year, employees donated items sold at a silent auction to help raise money to buy gifts for these children as well as "adopted" children. This year, Gillette employees sold chances to win a decorated tree with 121 wood ornaments created by an employee at Gillette. Through their Secret Santa efforts, Gillette employees raised more than $2,150 to purchase gifts for 16 less-fortunate children "adopted" through local agencies. Employees also helped purchase, wrap and deliver gifts.

Finally, Gillette employees waged a friendly competition between the United Transportation Union (UTU) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET) for Gillette's annual BNSF Food Drive. Canned goods were weighed this year, and cash donations of $1 equaled 1 pound of food. At the end of the first week, BLET weighed in at 98 pounds and the UTU tipped the scales at 62 pounds. By the end of Week 2, BLET widened the lead with 723 pounds compared with UTU's 69 pounds. But UTU fought back with a finish of 1,359 pounds in Week 3 for a grand total of 1,480 pounds, edging past BLET employees' donation of 1,113 pounds. All food was donated to the Council of Community Services and the Gillette Soup Kitchen. BNSF also donated 25 whole turkeys to the Council of Community Services in UTU's name.

Fort Worth

In Fort Worth, the Lone Star Employee Club (LSEC) sponsored a food drive to provide canned goods for the county food bank, while the general employee population was invited to participate in fundraisers and adoption of Salvation Army "Angel Tree" angels.

LSEC collected a "trunk full" of canned goods during its annual event. Children and grandchildren of club members were treated to photos with Santa.

BNSF adopted 1,000 "angels" in 2010. Funds were raised to purchase gifts for angels that weren't adopted by individuals and groups.

BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com