Employee volunteers, known as SEPTA Ambassadors, held out American Red Cross collection cans as they asked riders for monetary donations to be used to help the three million Haitian people devastated by the worst earthquake in 200 years.

The campaign, which was organized with the assistance and support of Fox 29 and Greater Media Philadelphia radio stations, was a huge success. During the one-day event on Tuesday, January 19th, SEPTA riders contributed coins, cash and checks totaling $40,016.38.

The employee volunteers, wearing shirts emblazoned with the SEPTA Ambassador logo, were out in force during the morning and evening rush hours at four major transit commuter centers.

At 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, $11,479.62 was collected. In Center City, donations at Suburban Station totalled $14,200.82; another $7,687.61 was collected at Market East Station. Customers using Frankford Transporatation Center in Northeast Philadelphia donated $6,498.33.

Lynn Downing, an ambassador who works in SEPTA’s Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE Department said, “Many people were giving not just dollars bills, they were giving multiples of dollars and making commitments to donate more later.”

Another employee volunteer, Dolores Talbert, who works in the Public and Operational Safety Division, remarked, “We’ve received a great response. In fact customers were thanking me for being there to take their donations.”

All funds collected were turned over to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross.