A Crestview Hills hotel company is giving charities the opportunity to raise money without any cost.
Columbia Sussex owner Bill Yung has a passion for trains and wants to use his to help the community.
The scene is directly from the 1800s. There are rolling hills topped with trees while the sounds of birds and insects fill the air. Off in the distance a burst of steam rises from beyond a hill as a screaming whistle warns of a locomotive approach.
The train and track was built in Grand Junction, Colorado and placed on a 1 1/2-mile railroad surrounding the Columbia Sussex corporate headquarters that peer over Interstate 275 in Northern Kentucky.
"Our owner Bill Yung has always been a train enthusiast... It's a pretty neat ride." said corporate spokesman Scott Cooney. "The idea here is to let charitable organizations use it as a fund raising vehicle. Our first group comes in this Saturday which is the point out of Covington."
The Point/Arc of Northern Kentucky is a full service agency that provides residential, vocational, social and educational opportunities for people with special needs. According to the president Judy Gerding, the non for profit organization raises 90 percent of its money while about 10 percent comes from government assistance.
Gerding has a working relationship with Yung. Gerding says the tool should be useful for her program and many others, because the recession has made it tough for corporations and individuals to give.
"It's challenging and rewarding. Actually, we're in the midst of a capital campaign and we know it's not going as fast as we would like it, but it's going," said Gerding. "Charities that use the train service are charged nothing with the hope that it will benefit the community. We certainly appreciate it."
The inaugural train rides will be hosted this Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advanced through The Point/Arc of Northern Kentucky's Web site, or on location at 740 Centre View Boulevard, Crestview Hills, KY 41017.
Tickets for children cost $3 while tickets for adults cost $5.
