- Training our Local Partners
- Making Connections through our Speakers Bureau
- Building Foundations with Philanthropy
- Strengthening Ties by Volunteering
- Natural Disaster Recovery
- New River Cleanup Effort
Norfolk Southern engages in outreach efforts in the communities we serve. These efforts include developing and presenting training programs for local emergency management agencies and other responders, such as local police and fire departments.
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Many of these training opportunities are provided as a result of Norfolk Southern’s support of the TRANSCAER program, a national effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and respond to hazardous materials transportation incidents. TRANSCAER, which stands for Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response, is a program of the American Chemistry Council. NS programs on behalf of TRANSCAER range from classroom sessions to full-scale outdoor drills to special whistle-stop trains. NS is a multiple winner of TRANSCAER’s National Achievement Award.
NS employees serve on local emergency planning committees and participate in industry coalition committees and initiatives to find innovative solutions to meet our environmental regulatory responsibilities. In addition, NS sponsors annual training for first responders across the country at the Emergency Response Training Center at Pueblo, Colo.
NS participates in voluntary environmental stewardship programs and partners with regulatory agencies to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.
Making Connections through our Speakers Bureau
It began with the simple idea to have employees tell the Norfolk Southern story. Today, the 80 employees who make up the Thoroughbred Speakers Network are connecting with communities across the country.
The Thoroughbred Speakers Network, Norfolk Southern’s employee speakers bureau, was formed to enhance communication with everyday people who are active in their communities. Supervisors nominated outstanding employees who volunteered to represent Norfolk Southern in the program.
“When we started thinking about creating an employee speakers bureau, I was reminded of the days when railroad companies had a station agent in virtually every town. It was easy for a community to identify with the railroad,” said CEO Wick Moorman. “The speakers bureau is one way we can rekindle that community connection.”
The speakers explain how Norfolk Southern's environmentally friendly, safe, and reliable rail freight transportation system contributes to local and national economies. Many audience members are unaware that NS helps provide everyday essentials, such as cars, merchandise or coal to fuel electricity.
In addition to NS’ impact on the community, groups have learned about NS’ highly praised response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
To request a Norfolk Southern speaker, send an e-mail with details of the event to speakers@nscorp.com.
Building Foundations with Philanthropy
Through strategic investment in environmental, educational and cultural resources in the areas the railroad serves, the Norfolk Southern Foundation helps ensure that:
- Our communities can provide residential and work environments that are safe, attractive, and desirable.
- Our region's children are provided with first-class educational opportunities that make them productive and valued employees in the future.
- Our communities can offer their citizens access to cultural opportunities that make life more enjoyable.
As a major employer in both large and small communities throughout the eastern United States, Norfolk Southern takes seriously its role as a corporate citizen and its responsibility to commit resources, both human and financial, to the improvement of those communities for the benefit of our employees and our neighbors. This commitment is acknowledged in Norfolk Southern's Corporate Creed.
Strengthening Ties by Volunteering
Work of Thoroughbred Volunteers Earns Clean Business Award for Norfolk Southern
On a Saturday morning, Norfolk Southern employee volunteers scoured the banks of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk for trash and other items as part of Clean the Bay Day. By the end of the day, NS volunteers had removed 5,100 pounds of trash from the waterfront area along a local baseball park.
Another sunny Saturday morning found a small army of Norfolk Southern volunteers at ForKids, a Norfolk facility that provides homeless families with housing and comprehensive services. Armed with rakes, shovels, and paintbrushes, they spent the morning cleaning up, landscaping, and painting.
These types of efforts by the Thoroughbred Volunteers, a program that provides community service opportunities for NS employees, led to a Clean Business Award for Norfolk Southern. Volunteer efforts toward site maintenance and beautification, recycling, water and energy conservation, and litter cleanup were deemed worthy of recognition by the Norfolk Environmental Commission.
“There is tremendous value on all sides when a company encourages its employees to participate in these kinds of activities,” said Julie Williams, volunteer program manager of Volunteer Hampton Roads. “NS people bring many important resources to the community. They can see the needs of the community firsthand and get a real sense of satisfaction. These kinds of activities also can enhance professional skills such as leadership and project management. Everyone benefits.”
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| Through the NS Thoroughbred Volunteers organization, employees participate in community clean-up days. | |
If railroads can be said to have a nemesis, it’s the weather. Hurricanes, floods, snow, ice, fog, extreme temperature – all can present operational challenges.
The weather’s effect on the region we serve can be devastating. Over the years, NS has been a dependable partner in helping communities recover from natural disasters. For example:
1986 – NS helped farmers in the drought-stricken Southeast with free movement of hay to 150 destinations in seven states.
1989 – NS moved supplies for victims of Hurricane Hugo.
1992 – NS carried relief supplies originating in 13 states to victims of Hurricane Andrew
1993 – NS donated transportation to assist victims of the “Great Flood of ’93.”
1999 – NS supported relief efforts after Hurricane Floyd visited the East Coast.
2001 – To aid families displaced by flooding, NS donated flat land in southern West Virginia.
2005 – After Hurricane Katrina washed out five miles of NS’ 5.8-mile bridge across Lake Ponchartrain, railroad crews did the near-impossible. They pulled the track from the lake bed, rebuilt the bridge, and reinstated freight rail service in just 16 days, enabling much-needed supplies and materials to move in and out of New Orleans. NS also provided financial support for community recovery efforts. Along its lines in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, NS contributed directly to local and state emergency responders and other community organizations, and matched employee donations to designated national relief organizations.
On Saturday August 23, 2008, the Re-New the New Committee gathered a group of area volunteers, Giles County, Virginia, employees, service organizations, and river outfitters to clean ten miles along the New River in Giles County, Virginia. The cleanup effort resulted in the removal of over 400 tires and approximately 600 tons of trash from the river. This event was made possible by a contribution from Norfolk Southern Foundation. Through strategic investment in environmental, educational, cultural and economic development opportunities within the region served by Norfolk Southern, the Foundation seeks to raise the standards of such programming, thereby enhancing the quality of life for Norfolk Southern employees and enhancing the “livability” of the communities it serves, enabling them to attract additional business development.
Click here for more pictures from the event.