[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10158-10159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING KIRKWOOD AMTRAK VOLUNTEERS

 Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 
nearly 70 volunteers who have faithfully dedicated their time to 
operating the Kirkwood Amtrak Train Station for the past 10 years. In 
recognition of their outstanding service, a celebration has been 
planned for them this weekend, on June 29, 2013, in Kirkwood, MO.
  In 2002, the City of Kirkwood was on the verge of losing its historic 
train station due to budget constraints. However, the residents of this 
community rejected that possibility. Instead, they banded together and 
the City of Kirkwood arranged to purchase the station from Amtrak. In 
doing so, the citizens saved the 120-year-old branch from destruction 
and preserved an iconic landmark in downtown Kirkwood.
  Following the purchase, the City of Kirkwood called on volunteers to 
staff and operate the facility. Nearly 200 people responded. Today, 
almost 70 regular volunteers answer questions about schedules, 
recommend Kirkwood sites and attractions, help passengers board trains, 
issue parking passes, and keep the station open and running in 
accordance with the Amtrak train schedule.
  Some may question whether an all-volunteer run train station can 
compete with other staff-operated stations across the country. Let me 
tell you--Kirkwood Amtrak Train Station's honors and awards speak for 
themselves. In 2004, the Kirkwood station volunteers were recognized 
with Amtrak's prestigious ``Champion of the Rails'' award, marking this 
station as the only non-employee station to ever receive the award.
  Perhaps more impressively, the Kirkwood Amtrak Train Station's recent 
customer satisfaction scores placed it No. 1 in the country. With 
friendly smiles and warm service, the Kirkwood station volunteers have 
set themselves apart from all other Amtrak stations,

[[Page 10159]]

logging over 50,000 hours of service to the City of Kirkwood, and 
welcoming more than 500,000 visitors and passengers through the station 
doors.
  I am proud these deserving citizens hail from my home State of 
Missouri. Their generous commitment to the City of Kirkwood and to 
travelers from all over the country serves as an inspiration to the 
people of Missouri.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the volunteers of the 
Kirkwood Amtrak Train Station for their distinguished service to the 
residents and visitors of Kirkwood.

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