Children Gain by Giving Back

“One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time.”

The children at The Fitzgerald Institute are back it, designing their annual community service projects. Last week, two of our students participated in a clean up at the local train station. Ian Brackett, who has admired the MBTA for years, put his passion into action. He reached out to the MBTA via email and phone call to introduce himself, share his ideas and see if they would welcome him in as a volunteer.

The MBTA directed his inquiry to Keolis, the company responsible for the operations of the commuter rail. The team at Keolis was so impressed to hear a child’s voice, so well spoken and confident, on the other end. They were happy to hear from Ian and welcomed him on board. They arranged a time and place to meet.

The Keolis team went above and beyond, beginning the morning with a lesson about the railroad and railroad safety. They accompanied Ian and his classmate, Younes, around the train station and the property to clean up litter. When they completed their work, the Keolis team presented Ian and Younes with a recognition bag including train paraphernalia, and an official certificate of recognition as a Keolis Community Ambassador for their commitment to giving back and to caring for the community!

They published an article about the event on their website, which can be seen below. Ian was so proud of his work. He came back to school and shared the article with his classmates, saying “Check this out! They put it on their website. It’s so awesome!” You could feel his pride.

A huge thank you to KEOLIS for supporting Ian’s passions and making his day…probably, year!

Giving back feels good!

Keolis Expands We Care Community Ambassador Program

Local students recognized for volunteerism, proactive initiative to beautify community

WESTBOROUGH – November 6, 2017 – Keolis Commuter Services (KCS), the MBTA’s partner that operates the commuter rail, recognized two students from the Fitzgerald Institute in Northborough for their proactive interest and dedication to improving their community. Students Ian Brackett and Younes Fedal, both 10, helped beautify train stations near their homes by joining a group of Keolis volunteers last Friday.

Alongside Keolis employees, Brackett and Fedal began their day with a safety briefing and instructions on how to properly wear protective equipment to be near the railroad. This includes a reflective vest, eye wear, gloves and a helmet. This safety briefing also included Operation Lifesaver training, which helps to raise awareness around the dangers of trespassing on tracks and focuses specifically on school-age children.

“We have a dedicated team that helps to ensure our train stations and areas nearby are properly maintained and kept clean. This includes parts of the network we maintain as the commuter rail operator, and as often as possible we volunteer with local community leaders to clean areas that are beyond our jurisdiction but important to our passengers and neighbors,” said Clary Coutu, Director of Environmental Affairs, KCS. “In that same spirit of community giving, we were thrilled with the example set by these two students who proactively reached out to us to help these volunteer efforts that keep our communities clean.”

Following the safety briefing, the two students and a group of Keolis volunteers helped to collect litter and cleanup areas in need of care and maintenance at the station and along the tracks in Westborough. Railroad tracks are often susceptible to illegal dumping, littering and buildup of other debris, which are not only unsightly but can also be a safety hazard to trains and children. Friday, the team collected four large bags of litter, which adds to approximately two tons of trash collected by Keolis volunteers this year from areas beyond contracted responsibilities.

After the event Ian and Younes were presented with the first-ever Keolis We Care Community Ambassador certificates of recognition. Their example will be used to encourage others to join the efforts of Keolis and other sustainable, locally-focused organizations that are dedicated to improving communities throughout the greater Boston area.

Previously, the Keolis We Care program focused on the positive volunteer impact of the company’s employees. With its North American headquarters in Boston, Keolis employs approximately 2,500 people in the region, and is committed to positively impacting the communities in which its team members live.

Keolis Commuter Services operates and maintains the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail system. The fifth largest commuter rail operation in North America, the system carries approximately 127,000 daily passengers throughout the greater Boston area and services 138 stations over 394 miles. KCS is a subsidiary of Keolis North America (KNA), both headquartered in Boston, and employs approximately 2,500 people throughout the region. KCS and KNA are part of Keolis Group, an innovative global leader in transit services with more than a century of passenger transportation experience and operations in 16 countries.

Learn about Keolis