Norfolk Southern employees walk the talk when it comes to 'giving back'
12/13/2024
By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor
Norfolk Southern Railway leaders last month established a partnership with a faith-based nonprofit organization in Atlanta that assists individuals and families who are transitioning out of crisis situations.
Located in one of Atlanta’s most struggling neighborhoods — where nearly 40% of residents are below the federal poverty level — City of Refuge Inc. helps people with food, housing and health-care needs, and provides job-skill training and connections to job opportunities.
NS recently connected with the nonprofit organization as part of the Class I’s “Giving November” community-impact initiative. On Nov. 11, NS Assistant Vice President of Human Resources PC Bryant presented City of Refuge CEO Bruce Deel with a $350,000 check to help set up a training center to train community members to become welders.
Additionally, trainers from the Norfolk Southern Training Center in McDonough, Georgia, have agreed to assist City of Refuge with the American Welding Society (AWS) certification process and waive certification fees for the center’s first year. The McDonough center is the only welding testing center in Georgia that is AWS accredited.
When it opens in January 2025, City of Refuge’s welder training center — which is part of the nonprofit’s broader job-training programs — will offer participants free training, mentorship and placement services to build the necessary skills and confidence for meaningful and sustainable careers.
A place of refuge for those in need
The Giving November initiative is a concerted effort by NS employees to “give back” to the communities the railroad serves, says Kristin Wong, who leads the Norfolk Southern Foundation and Community Impact team. This year’s Giving November focused on helping people who face homelessness or housing insecurity.
“The entire NS team came together to support this Giving November initiative.” — Norfolk Southern Foundation and Community Impact Director Kristin Wong Norfolk Southern Railway“Being part of the rail industry, we know that, unfortunately, there has been an increase in the number encampments along rail lines. This presents a safety concern for the individuals camped out along those lines and for the local communities,” says Wong. “We want to be part of the actual solution and not just ask that the folks in those encampments be moved off private property.”
City of Refuge’s location in Atlanta — the home of NS’ headquarters — made it an ideal connection for Giving November, says Wong.
NS shares a commitment with City of Refuge’s mission to build resilient communities and support economic development, Wong says. When NS officials learned the nonprofit wanted to open a welder training center, the Class I quickly came on board with the endeavor.
“Welding is a skill that’s in high demand in the United States. It provides stable, well-paying jobs. In the rail industry, welders help us maintain our infrastructure,” says Wong. “So, this was a win-win for both of us.”
City of Refuge representatives visited the NS Training Center to gain ideas for their future site. Over its 50-year history, the state-of-the-art McDonough facility has played a central role in educating NS railroaders in their jobs and crafts, including in safety protocols. About 150 of the railroad’s welders went through the program at the NS training center this year, according to Wong.
City of Refuge officials hope to open the doors to its first cohort of welding students in early 2025. While the students aren’t being trained to work specifically for NS, “we would love to be their employer of choice,” Wong says.
“But even if they don’t end up working for Norfolk Southern, we know that they’re going to get a job in another industry and ultimately help build up the local economy,” she adds.
As a result of Giving November, NS this year donated about $1 million in funding plus hours of volunteer service to many nonprofits that provide “wrap-around” services to individuals with housing insecurity, Wong says.
In addition to City of Refuge, another nonprofit that benefited from NS’ Giving November is Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for families in need. NS employees, including the company’s executive team, volunteered hundreds of hours at Habitat homebuilding sites in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
This year is the first that NS volunteered for Habitat, but the Class I plans to build on the partnership even more in 2025, Wong says.
“Even our CEO volunteered at a Habitat build in the Birmingham area,” Wong says. “So really, the entire NS team came together to support this Giving November initiative.”
