RICHMOND, Va. -- In an effort to make Christmas brighter for those in the community, CBS 6 and Virginia Credit Union have teamed up to present the Month of Giving.
Every day, a member of the CBS 6 family will be out in the community surprising someone with a holiday gift.
The pandemic has presented so many challenges, and GRTC operators have been on the frontlines, getting folks to essential destinations despite the risks. Recently, contact tracing and several new cases have even impacted services in a few cases.
That means some operators have stepped up to put in massive amounts of overtime work, stepping in for their colleagues and making sure bus riders can get to their intended destination.
Jake Burns recently surprised operator Valarie Burroughs. She has worked an incredible 1,474 overtime hours so far this year, which is the most OT hours in the entire company.
"It's been rough, but I'm used to working like that," Burroughs explained. "I always, always worked like that... Everybody telling me, 'Slow down, slow down.' I just, I'm addicted to working. I just always work like this."
Valarie has the most OT hours, but GRTC says at least 7 bus operators have put in more than 1,000 OT hours so far this year.
Burns told Valarie that we were there to talk about the OT effort she and other drivers have put in this year and then completely surprised her with a gift card.
"We want to say thank you so much for everything you do in the community and what you have done over the course of this year," Burns said. "It's incredible and kudos and thank you for your fantastic work, seriously. So it's just a little token of our appreciation. It's small thing, but we think you deserve it."
"Thank you so much," Burroughs said.
Brightening the community's Christmas season is part of CBS 6's Month of Giving mission. Watch for the CBS 6 Month of Giving each day this December on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com.
