Baldwin EMC “Shines Light on Those in the Fight” through Pink Power Campaign
October 13, 2011
Baldwin EMC’s operations personnel are hoping to bring awareness to the importance of early detection of breast cancer by wearing pink hard hats during the month of October.
Baldwin EMC employees are celebrating Pink Power during the month of October in hopes of bringing awareness to the importance of early detection of breast cancer. On Monday, October 10, the Orange Beach Fire Department brought their pink fire truck to the Summerdale office to help kick off the campaign.
Baldwin EMC has always known the value of education. Most of the time, the cooperative's educational efforts are geared toward energy-efficiency and electrical safety.
This month, a new topic is front and center at Baldwin EMC: breast cancer awareness. The cooperative launched its first ever "Pink Power" campaign this month, aimed at educating its employees and members about the real prevalence of breast cancer and how they can fight it.
The idea for the campaign started with a hard hat. Last October, Baldwin EMC right-of-way crew chief Ivy Knight made a suggestion to the co-op's communications department. Local firefighters and athletes were wearing pink uniforms to support breast cancer awareness, why couldn't Baldwin EMC's operations crews wear pink hard hats? Karen Moore, vice-president of member services and public relations, liked the idea immediately. "We were pleasantly surprised to learn that not only were pink hard hats available, our crews, which are 100 percent male, were more than willing to wear them," Moore says.
From those pink hard hats, a campaign developed. "We quickly realized that we had a real opportunity in front of us." Moore says. "Before long, the campaign had a name and a mission." That mission? Educate Baldwin EMC's employees and members about breast cancer.
"The tag line for the campaign is 'shining a light on those in the fight.' That refers to more than just those who have been diagnosed," Moore says. "That goes for everyone fighting to live a healthy lifestyle and stay one step ahead of cancer."
Information about breast cancer awareness, including tips for early detection, will also be available in all three Baldwin EMC office lobbies during the month of October.
According to projections from the Susan G. Komen for a Cure Foundation, in 2011 there will be around 280,000 new cases of breast cancer in women and 2,140 cases in men. That makes a campaign like Baldwin EMC's extremely important, because the Susan G. Komen Foundation reports that education is the key to prevention and early detection. While many of the factors that contribute to breast cancer can't be avoided, healthy choices can lessen a person's risk. Knowing the warning signs of cancer can lead to early detection, which improves the effectiveness of treatment.
Information like this is exactly what Baldwin EMC hopes to pass along to its employees and members. And while this is the first year for Baldwin EMC's Pink Power campaign, Moore says it won't be the last. "If we can prompt one woman to get a mammogram, if we can let one man know that he might actually be at risk, then this campaign is a success."