MONTREAL, Feb. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) announced today that the 2018 CN Employees' and Pensioners' Community Fund (the Fund) campaign raised a record setting amount just over C$2,000,000 for charities.

"We are very proud to make a significant contribution that will help make a difference for many charity organizations," said Olivier Chouc, CN vice-president of law, and chairman of the board of the CN Community Fund. “This unprecedented success is the direct result of every donor's generosity and the outstanding dedication of our volunteers. Thank you to everyone involved for making this an incredible year, and for helping make a real difference in the lives of so many."

Approximately 600 charities from a variety of causes such as health and research, community wellbeing, child support, and humanitarian aid will benefit from the contribution of more than 4,100 active and retired employees as well as 960 external contributors. The fundraising total includes individual employee contributions and fundraising activities such as the CN Canadiens Alumni Challenge, the United Way western train ride, the CN Christmas Express, British Columbia Wildfires Appeal, Jeans Day, and many others initiatives.

CN Employees' and Pensioners' Community Fund, which has been in existence for 51 years, is run by CN employees and pensioners acting on behalf of their colleagues, organizes fundraising activities and annual campaigns in support of various charities across Canada. Over the past 10 years, the Fund has raised more than C$16.7 million in donations to help those in need. According to a recent analysis by a fundraising consulting firm, CN Employees’ and Pensioners’ Community Fund stands out as a Canadian leader due to its exemplary practices.

CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the Company's website at www.cn.ca.