A Brief History of the Friend to Friend Network
2004
Established in July 2004 and helped 37 Railroad families in need in the inaugural year.
2005
Sent out $1.2M to help 586 Railroad families displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. $1M of assistance sent out was donated by Union Pacific Railroad in order to protect monies that were collected to fund non-hurricane related emergencies. Assisted 95 Railroad families in need that were approved for non-hurricane related medical or dwelling related emergencies.
2006
Assisted 132 Railroad families in need that were approved for non-hurricane related medical or dwelling related emergencies.
2007
Introduced payroll deduction and Friend To Friend Ambassadors in September 2007. Assisted 289 Railroad families in need that were approved for non-hurricane related medical or dwelling related emergencies. By December 31, 2007 there were over 760 employees donating $5,383 monthly to the Friend To Friend Network via payroll deduction. In 2007 donations from payroll deductions totaled $13,323 (8% ) and from checks and fund-raisers totaled $150,900 (92%).
2008
Introduced monthly Friend To Friend Network Updates in October 2008. Assisted 213 Railroad families in need that were approved for non-hurricane related medical or dwelling related emergencies and 289 Railroad families in need that were directly impacted by hurricanes Gustav & Ike. By December 31, 2008 there were 121 Friend To Friend Ambassadors that had signed up 3,255 employees donating $22,264 monthly to the Friend To Friend Network via payroll deduction. In 2008 donations from payroll deductions totaled $165,686 (41% ), Union Pacific disaster assistance donations $100.000 (25%) and from checks and fundraisers totaled $139,139 (34%).
2009
Introduced the Friend To Friend Network 24 X 7 toll-free helpline (800) 457-7962 supported by the Risk Management Communications Center on January 12, 2009. The helpline eliminated the original fax application process and provides callers with a quick and accurate way to file their application with the Friend To Friend Network. More than 95% of the helpline calls are able to be reviewed and those that are approved have checks in the mail the very next day.
For the year 2009 the Friend To Friend Network helped a record 714 railroad families in need which was a 30% increase over 2008. By December 31, 2009, there were 178 Friend To Friend Ambassadors that had signed up 4,208 employees donating $31,035 monthly to the Friend To Friend Network via payroll deduction. In 2009 donations from payroll deductions totaled $326,462 (69%) with checks and fund-raisers totaling $139,139 (31%) for the year.
2010
For the year 2010, the Friend To Friend Network continued to grow and set new records in all categories helping a record 969 railroad families in need which was a 26% increase over 2009. By December 31, 2010, there were 230 Friend To Friend Ambassadors that had signed up 5,207 employees donating $38,580 monthly to the Friend To Friend Network via payroll deductions.
In 2010 donations from payroll deductions were $399,335 (70%) with checks and fund-raisers bringing in $171,245 (30%) for the year totaling an 18% increase in donations compared to 2009.