By By JIM BYRD
Southern Pine General Manager
Many of us have participated in a race where the requirement was to hand some item off to another runner who would continue the race, and it is commonly called a relay.
Your cooperative has joined with most of the other electric co-ops in central and south Alabama and northwest Florida to help sponsor the Relay For Life events in each area and help fight cancer. The purpose is to raise money for the American Cancer Society and to raise awareness for us all.
The American Cancer Society has a presence in every Alabama county, and thousands of volunteers are involved as they promote prevention, early detection and prompt treatment of this dreaded disease.
There are 13 researchers who are conducting tests and doing other research daily as they seek a cure at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
There have been about 13,000,000 cases of cancer diagnosed since 1990 and there are approximately 8.4 million cancer survivors in the U.S.A. Approximately 1.2 million people were diagnosed with cancer during 2000.
The American Cancer Society is focused on hope for those facing cancer, progress on the research efforts and answers in the form of readily available information.This is a worthy cause which has and will help many people.
Contributions are tax exempt and a receipt may be required by the IRS. If there are questions about a tax deductible donation, you may call 1-800-ACS-2345.
Southern Pine is a Touchstone Energy cooperative and is focused on the communities it serves. Relay For Life support is one way in which community goals will be realized.
Touchstone Energy is a national alliance of member-owned electric cooperatives who have joined together to provide and maintain reliable service while trying to improve the quality of life in the respective service areas.
Quality and reliability are terms that leave no room to be second best – that's not an option. How would you like to be operated on by a doctor who cheated his or her way through medical school? Neither would I!
These terms will continue to be most important at Southern Pine. I believe that the people in California have a greater appreciation for quality and reliability today.