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[CNJRoss]

Caltrain news release:
 

Holiday Train December 2 & 3 Marks Start of Season of Giving

 

November 13, 2017

 

Bay Area residents, from The City to the South Bay, know the holiday season has arrived when the Caltrain Holiday Train presented by Silicon Valley Community Foundation makes its way down the Peninsula the first weekend in December.

 

On Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3, the beloved Holiday Train will once again make its way down the Peninsula. The glittering show train has been a favorite family holiday tradition for communities all along the Caltrain rail corridor for 15 years. To spread the word about the spectacular event, one Caltrain passenger car “wrapped” in the Holiday Train artwork is in regular service until the end of December.

 

Decorated with more than 75,000 lights, the Holiday Train will visit nine Caltrain stations during the weekend. At each of the train’s 20-minute station stops, people can join in singing with onboard carolers and a Salvation Army brass band. Santa, Mrs. Claus and their extended family -- including Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer -- will get off the train to greet kids and pose for pictures. Prior to the arrival of the train, families can enjoy free entertainment at each of the Holiday Train station stops.

 

The Holiday Train is more than a glittering feast for the eyes. It is also an opportunity to donate new toys or books to disadvantaged, local children. Caltrain partners with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program and the Salvation Army’s Season of Giving program to help make the season brighter for families struggling to make ends meet. Since the inception of the Holiday Train, generous Bay Area residents have brought more than 50,000 toys to Caltrain stations.

 

“The Holiday Train is our gift to the community and is a great kick-off to the holiday season,” said Caltrain Executive Director Jim Hartnett. “We are very proud to have the continued support of Silicon Valley Community Foundation in providing this magical experience.”

 

Christmas in the Park

For the third consecutive year, the Holiday Train is partnering with San Jose’s Christmas in the Park event at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. This year, the Holiday Train program has sponsored Christmas in the Park’s Train Display which guests can climb aboard and ring the train bell while posing for a great photo opportunity.

 

“The Holiday Train brings a spirit of community and sense of delight to people from San Francisco to San Jose,” said Emmett Carson, CEO and president of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. “SVCF is proud that our partnership with Caltrain over the past six years has allowed this great local tradition to thrive.” 

Santa’s helpers can get into the holiday spirit by donating or becoming a sponsor on the Holiday Train website, holiday-train.org, and by following Caltrain and Silicon Valley Community Foundation on Twitter using the hashtag #HolidayTrain2017 to help spread the word. All Holiday Train donations are collected by and distributed through Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

 

The Holiday Train would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors for everything from decorations and wiring to costumes.

 

Community Support 

Handel Sunrise Foundation and Stanford Children’s Health are “Lead” sponsors. The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Analog Devices and The Knight Foundation are “Conductor” sponsors. Robert Half International is a “Station” sponsor. The “Railway” sponsor is Brigid S. Barton Family Fund, and the “Community” sponsors are San Mateo Downtown Association, The Ely Family and the Richard Omi Family Fund.

 

Media sponsors include The Daily Journal, The San Francisco Examiner, 96.5 KOIT, 98.5 KFOX and 102.9 KBLX. 

 

Bayside Equipment Company of Redwood City donated the use of a generator to light up the decorations. Other in-kind sponsors include Jim’s Handyman Services, Peterson Technical Services and the Subway store located in the San Francisco Caltrain Station.

 

Holiday Train Schedule

 

Saturday, December 2

 

Station                 Arrive

San Francisco        4:00 p.m.

Burlingame            5:25 p.m.

Redwood City         6:10 p.m.

Mountain View        7:25 p.m.

Santa Clara            8:00 p.m.

 

 

Sunday, December 3

 

Station               Arrive

San Francisco       4:00 p.m.

Millbrae                5:20 p.m.

San Mateo            6:00 p.m.

Menlo Park           7:05 p.m.

Sunnyvale            7:50 p.m.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Caltrain news release:

 

Holiday Train Collects More than 3,100 Toys for Local Children

 

December 13, 2017

 

The holidays will be a little brighter this season for thousands of children thanks to the generosity of people that donated toys during this year’s annual Caltrain Holiday Train, presented by Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 

 

During Holiday Train weekend, held December 2 & 3, approximately 35,000 people converged on Peninsula train stations to see the glittering show train, hear holiday tunes, see Santa and his friends and donate toys to children in need.

 

Approximately 2,635 toys and more than $3,200 were collected during Holiday Train weekend. An additional 415 toys were collected by Transit District employees and the SamTrans Stuff A Bus Toy Drive. Additionally, 100 toys were collected by Silicon Valley Community Foundation employees as well. This season’s Holiday Train brought in a total of 3,150 toys – a 24 percent increase from 2016.

 

Toys donated at stations benefit the Salvation Army Season of Sharing Program. A $15,000 donation made to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program by the Holiday Train enabled the purchase of approximately 1,500 toys for the non-profit organization. Since the Holiday Train’s inception in 2001, nearly 60,000 toys have been distributed to Bay Area children who otherwise might not have received gifts at Christmas.

 

Community support is a hallmark of the Holiday Train. Working at the San Francisco rail yard at Sixth and Townsend streets, volunteers spent every Saturday for two months decorating the train. Ambassadors at train stations helped pass out candy canes, programs and stickers to joyous onlookers. Local entertainers provided free entertainment at each station before the train arrived. Those people who volunteered to wear a holiday character costume were rewarded by the delighted response of the thousands of families who turned out for the event. 

 

The Holiday Train would not be possible without the generous financial support of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Financial considerations forced the Holiday Train to go “dark” in 2010. In 2012, Silicon Valley Community Foundation stepped up to bring the beloved tradition back to the Peninsula by donating the seed money to get it started again. Over the six-year partnership, Silicon Valley Community Foundation has also helped Caltrain solicit donors to keep the train going. For the 2017 season, the Holiday Train collected $50,000 in sponsorships.  

 

The Holiday Train would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.

 

Community Support 

Handel Sunrise Foundation and Stanford Children’s Health are “Lead” sponsors. The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Analog Devices and The Knight Foundation are “Conductor” sponsors. Robert Half International is a “Station” sponsor. The “Railway” sponsors were Brigid S. Barton Family Fund and White & Case, and the “Community” sponsors are Downtown San Mateo Association, The Ely Family and the Richard Omi Family Fund.

 

Media sponsors include The Daily Journal, The San Francisco Examiner, 96.5 KOIT, 98.5 KFOX and 102.9 KBLX. 

 

Bayside Equipment Company of Redwood City donated the use of a generator to light up the decorations. Other in-kind sponsors include Jim’s Handyman Services, Peterson Technical Services and the Subway store located in the San Francisco Caltrain Station.

 

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