Philadelphia, PA – Saturday, September 26, 2009 – Susan Bensen
The trip began on an average Thursday in Philadelphia, but this event was not going to be an ordinary CSX service day because this event would mark the start of the CSX Trees for Tracks campaign! The goal of CSX’s Trees for Tracks is to plant one tree for every mile of train-track that CSX operates on over the next five years. “CSX is committed to making a positive impact on the communities in which we live and do business” said Tori Kaplan, CSX Director of Corporate Citizenship. "Not only does planting trees improve air quality and offset carbon emissions, but trees act as noise buffers, provide healthy homes for wildlife and add beauty to our world." Now before you get out your tape measures and calculators – I will save you the time and tell you, that will be a total of over 21,000 trees!
The resting ground of the first batch of trees was in the downtown area of Philadelphia at the Greenfield Elementary School. The school has been going through a three-year greening renovation and these 26 trees would be the final piece to the project. The staffing of the event included Senior Corps Members, Susan Bensen and Kimberly Ferguson and Project Managers, Hugh Harlow and Chris Farr.
Due to the nature of Trees for Tracks events – a brand new project and an overall new experience for everyone involved – prep included a lot of discovery. But even with all the new changes, Kimberly, Susan and Hugh had time than to see the sights that Philadelphia has to offer. They enjoyed Susan’s wealth of knowledge of Philadelphia as she had served her corps year in Philadelphia. They were also lucky enough to experience a true Philly classic at the place where “Cheese Steaks” were created, Pat’s King of Steaks, in south Philadelphia. Afterwards it was back to the service site to sort out all the different components and tools for a Trees for Tracks event. Even though there was only one day of prep – we were still busy.
The event day came fast and early for Team Care Force. The team departed from the Holiday Inn at 6:50 a.m. to reach the service site. There were a total of 79 CSX and community volunteers in attendance and after a quick breakfast and opening ceremony - they were off to service. The 26 trees were being planted in a forest-like patch – so all volunteers were able to serve in one centralized location. One team started on the left side and the other team started on the right side and planted the trees till they met in the middle. After a total of 44 hours and 26 trees planted later, the first ever CSX Trees for Tracks event was completed. The team wished farewell to the city of brotherly love and headed back to Boston that afternoon.
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