October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness and rally people to help fund research to find a cure for the disease.

This October, United Power joined the ongoing battle to find a cure through an employee-led effort to support colleagues, raise funds and create awareness. The idea began to spread after co-op linemen asked permission to wear pink hard hats throughout the month, and evolved into a company-wide engagement effort.

“It’s exciting that this movement began internally by our linemen,” said Community Outreach Specialist Julie Stewart. “It’s even more exciting to see the support from the rest of our employees. As a co-op, caring for our communities is a core part of who we are, and I think this demonstrates how much they care.”

The cooperative issued linemen pink hard hats to wear on the job throughout the month of October, and employees received pink “United for the Cure” shirts. Employees were encouraged to wear their shirts every Thursday during the month. To raise funds for breast cancer treatment and support, internal departments donated themed silent auction baskets. The silent auction raised $5,000. The check was presented to the Platte Valley Medical Center Foundation at an employee meeting in November.

“The employee engagement and support we witnessed was more than we could have hoped for,” said Member Engagement Officer Meghan Dewey. “This was a heartwarming suggestion from employees, who all helped contribute in a big way.”

Breast cancer impacts hundreds of thousands of families every year. This year alone, approximately 270,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the United States, not including non-invasive forms. It is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women aside from skin cancer.

You can continue to help the fight locally by donating to the PVMC Foundation, which supports critical patient programs at Platte Valley Medical Center.