Kansas City Southern Releases 15th Annual Holiday Express Schedule; Kicks-off Fundraising Campaign in Memory of Special Elf

KANSAS CITY, Mo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) has released its schedule
for the 15th annual Holiday Express train, which will stop in
20 communities in seven states on 24 dates. At each stop, visitors can
board the train, visit with Santa and his elves and tour the inside of
three cars of the festive six-car train. Each event is free and open to
the public.

In addition to free, public events, KCS’ Holiday Express has a
charitable component. Over 15 years, the project has raised well over $1
million to purchase gift cards, which are donated to The Salvation Army
at each scheduled stop. These gift cards are used to purchase warm
clothing and other necessities for children in the local community.

The 2015 fundraising effort is in memory of a special member of the KCS
Holiday Express family, Willis F. Kilpatrick, who passed away in June.
Kilpatrick was among the founders of the KCS Holiday Express in 2001 and
was its head elf through 2012, retiring in early 2013.

“It was Willis’ leadership, inspiration and tremendous heart that made
the train and the charitable initiative the wonderful experience that
communities enjoy today,” said KCS chief executive officer David L.
Starling. “It is with gratitude for Willis’ contributions that we honor
his memory.”

The 2015 KCS Holiday Express theme is Darby Bear. In recent years, one
of the toys in the free gift bags for kids has been a small teddy bear
in the colors of a KCS locomotive. This year’s bear is called “Darby”, a
nickname given to Kilpatrick by his family. The bear is yellow, his
favorite color.

Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the 2015
Holiday Express fundraising campaign may do so online from the Holiday
Express section of www.kcsouthern.com
or by clicking here.
The campaign will close October 31.

The KCS Holiday Express was built on the tradition of the Santa Train,
which ran on a segment of the network bought by KCS in 1997. In 2000, a
group of warm-hearted KCS employees noticed that the Santa Train was the
only Christmas some kids had, and that some kids did not even have
essential items like coats, hats and gloves, so they committed to
elevating the project. In 2001, volunteers transformed a retired freight
train to the experience that communities throughout KCS’ U.S. service
territory enjoy today.

Led by KCS’ Southern Belle business train, the Holiday Express train
includes a smiling tank car “Rudy”; a flatcar carrying Santa’s sleigh,
reindeer and a miniature village; a ginger bread boxcar; a newly
remodeled elves’ workshop; the reindeer stable; and a little red
caboose. Each car is dressed in lights.

Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., KCS is a transportation holding
company that has railroad investments in the U.S., Mexico and Panama.
KCS’ North American rail holdings and strategic alliances are primary
components of a NAFTA Railway system, linking the commercial and
industrial centers of the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Contacts

Kansas City Southern
C. Doniele Carlson, 816-983-1372
dcarlson@kcsouthern.com

Recibe gratis todas las noticias en tu correo

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias! Ya estás suscrito a nuestro newsletter

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain