Our Annual Meeting and Fundraiser is coming up quickly! The meeting will be held on July 9, 2022 at 9:30 am at the Makoy Center, 5462 Center Street in Hilliard. We are also offering the opportunity to join via Zoom at a discounted price. Tickets for the in-person event must be purchased by July 1 at 9:00 am; tickets for the Zoom meeting can be purchased through July 8th. We will also be selling raffle tickets at the event for the chance to win a pen & ink print of the historic Toledo & Ohio Central Depot at Columbus, OH, or a limited print Amtrak Lake Shore Limited poster. Raffle tickets will be sold for $2 each or three for $5. If you would prefer to pay at the door, please let us know so that we can include you in our headcount. You can register by clicking here.

This is an event you will not want to miss! Our keynote speaker this year is the Railroad Passenger’s Association Board Chair Meredith Richards. Meredith has a long history in rail advocacy and community involvement, including serving on the Charlottesville City Council and numerous public boards and commissions. She was the driving force in the creation of the Lynchburg Northeast Regional train. The founder and chair of the Piedmont Rail Coalition, she mobilized political jurisdictions, stakeholders, and citizens throughout the US29 corridor in a successful campaign to bring Virginia’s first state-supported intercity passenger train to the corridor.

As a member of the Virginia Governor’s Commission on Rail Enhancement for the 21st Century and president of the Virginia Transit Association, Meredith began over twenty years of advocacy for dedicated state funding for passenger rail, culminating in Virginia’s launch of a $4 billion program of rail initiatives in 2019. She is president of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute and a former president and current co-chair of Virginians for High-Speed Rail. She joined the Board of Directors of the Rail Passengers Association in 2020 and was elected Chair in 2022.

Also speaking at the meeting are Thea Walsh, a 17-year public servant focused on transportation, economic development, and community planning who serves as the Transportation and Infrastructure Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; Navy and Army veteran State Representative Haraz N. Ghanbari, who is currently in his first term representing 3rd House District and is a strong supporter of expanded public transit access; and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur who represents Ohio's Ninth Congressional District and is currently the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives and ranks among the most senior members of the 117th Congress.

We look forward to seeing you there!