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Lets shave the day
This week, nearly 200 people across North Dakota and Wyoming swapped their hair for cash to benefit pediatric cancer research.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative - March 18, 2010
Originally published by Electric Co-op Today
Reported by Derrill Holly
Staffers at Basin Electric Power Cooperative decided to make their third annual St. Baldrick’s Day celebration bigger and better than ever, so they shed more hair and even a few tears for some real heroes—children waging very personal battles against cancer.
“These kids are the true reason behind St. Baldrick’s, and it’s through them that we learn grace and strength,” said Emily McKay, Basin Electric’s event planner and charitable giving coordinator.
This week, nearly 200 people across North Dakota and Wyoming swapped their hair for cash to benefit pediatric cancer research. The majority got clipped at Basin Electric’s Bismarck, N.D., headquarters March 17, under a huge banner emblazoned with the words “Shave the Day.”
That’s the idea behind fund-raising events for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a group that gets volunteers to obtain pledges in return for shaving their heads to mark St. Patrick’s Day.
“Besides our headquarters event, we had tandem events at other Basin facilities in North Dakota and Wyoming,” said Mary Klecker-Green, Basin Electric’s supervisor of public and member communications, adding that several other organizations in Basin’s territory also supported their event.
Men and some women gathered donations from sponsors, while some volunteers agreed to trim ten inches or more of their hair for donation to “Locks of Love,” which makes natural hair wigs for children undergoing treatment.
While the total raised this year remains unclear, Basin Electric staffers and contractors are to add at least $100,000 to the more than $224,000 raised through the G&T’s St. Baldrick’s events in 2008 and 2009.
“After they’ve shaved their heads, people are proud to be walking billboards for such a great cause,” Klecker-Green said. “What was really special this year was the level of participation among the families of our young heroes who are battling cancer diseases.’’
Three of the fathers of those children joined Basin Electric volunteers on stage and had their heads shaved by their own children to show support and solidarity, Klecker-Green said. “A sister of one of the girls also shaved her head, and that was a real touching moment.”
Headquarters
1717 East Interstate Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58503-0564 USA
Phone: 701.223.0441
