Caltrain To Ask Riders To Spare Change To Save Lives

Caltrain is asking passengers to chip in their spare dollars and cents one morning next week to help a three-member railroad team raise funds for rail suicide prevention.

A conductor, a transit police officer and a veteran locomotive engineer - all Amtrak employees who work on the Caltrain line - have a combined goal of raising $3,000 for the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk July 22-23 in San Francisco. The 20-mile, dusk-to-dawn walk raises funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Caltrain staff members will be at the San Francisco Caltrain Station during the morning commute on Thursday, July 13, asking passengers to toss in their spare change or loose dollars to help the trio meet – and even surpass – that goal.

“We have a lot of passengers who sincerely care about people who commit suicide,” said Robert Orantes, the former engineer, now working as a rail manager. “Every little bit helps and we appreciate people’s support.”

Caltrain wanted to participate in The Overnight to help bring the issue of suicide and depression “out of the darkness,” educating people that the best way to prevent suicide is through early detection, diagnosis and treatment of depression and mood disorders.

Train crews are all too frequently exposed to the tragedy of suicide on the rails, yet are helpless to do anything about it. Conductors, transit police and engineers are the very individuals who must respond to all fatalities on the rails and often take the tragic images home with them at the end of the day.

Participating in the Out of the Darkness Walk allows them to do something proactive to save lives, noted Det. Jake Mumford, who has responded to nearly 15 suicides during his six years on the Amtrak police force.

Conductor Bruce Shelton has been gratified by those who have donated to his account, including passengers, fellow employees and rail fans.

“I’m kind of excited about the walk,” he said, “the camaraderie, the single-mindedness of a group of people all committed to the same cause.”

So far, the team has collected more than $1,750, most through on-line donations via the Website for the walk at www.theovernight.org, or by mail. People can contribute to any or all of the rail team members by clicking on “Support a Participant,” then selecting the “San Francisco walk” and the “Caltrain Amtrak” team to find the individual members.

07/06/06 - jrm