Member Service Representative Melodye Hines paid forward $500 to the Mackey family in Simpsonville.
Patriarch Tim is currently fighting two types of cancer: Colon Cancer and Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma.
Melodye has known the family for years and said, “When I found out Tim was sick, I knew it was going to be financially hard for them. They are having to travel to Charleston for treatments and I wanted to help them with travel expenses.”
She added, “Tim and his wife Patti Jo were so happy and couldn’t thank LEC enough and said we don’t realize how much this gift will help.”
The American Cancer Society estimates in 2023 there will be approximately 5,365 new cancer cases every day in the U.S.
Cancer.org states, “Some types of cancer run in certain families, but most cancers are not clearly linked to the genes we inherit from our parents. Gene changes that start in a single cell over the course of a person’s life cause most cancers.”
The site also lists ways to lower the risk of cancer, including not using tobacco, eating healthy and living an active lifestyle, using skin protection in the sun, and vaccinating against the HPV virus.
Melodye said the Mackeys “have been through so much over the past two years and through it all, they have held on to their faith for comfort and peace during this time.”
Laurens Electric’s Pay It Forward program began in 2015.
Every Laurens Electric Cooperative employee is entered into a random drawing to receive $500 to pay forward in any way they choose.
Each month a new name is drawn, and the employee then has one month to apply the funds toward their own act of kindness.
This initiative is budget-neutral; the funds come from Laurens Electric’s charity events, which employee volunteers make possible.
