Co-op News
A Powerful Gift for Cancer Research
The last time Mark Byrnes, Joey Nabors and Gary Robinson, employees at an Alabama electric cooperative, wore pink hard hats, it was in the field during last fall’s Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Pink was in style again when Baldwin EMC reps presented a check for breast cancer research to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (Photo By: Michelle Ricard)
Recently, the three men donned the hats again, but in a different venue. In a brief ceremony at Baldwin EMC’s corporate offices in Summerdale earlier this month, they and other co-op officials donated proceeds from several fundraisers to a notable breast cancer charity.
Through a silent auction, informal fashion show and sales of pink hard hats and t-shirts last October, the co-op raised more than $5,400 for the north central Alabama chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
“Susan G. Komen is deeply thankful for the commitment and generosity of all the members of the Baldwin EMC team and their very creative Pink Power Campaign,” said Ellen Zahariadis, executive director of the Alabama chapter. “Because of these dedicated employees, we are one step closer to achieving our vision of a world without breast cancer.”
The pink power hard hats worn by Byrnes, a lineworker, Nabors, a right of way technician, and Robinson, a mechanic, were the most visible sign of the co-op’s campaign and a hit with the public, said a co-op official.
“The idea came from Ivy Knight,” the co-op’s right of way crew chief, said Karen Moore, vice president of member services and public relations. “Our employees jumped on it. They loved the idea, knowing we’re making a difference.”
The Pink Power campaign, which the co-op wants to turn into an annual event, was one of three major fundraisers in 2011 at Baldwin EMC. Along with proceeds from the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, the co-op raised nearly $10,000 last year.
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