The Pay It Forward program, begun in 2015, was born out of a desire to continue the good work of the 75 Acts of Kindness community initiative.
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 will come from Laurens Electric’s charity events, which employee volunteers make possible.
Employees and the community will enable individual employees to help individuals in the community, and that’s a win-win situation.
Financial Accountant Frank Harling paid forward $500 to the United Way of Greenville County COVID-19 Community Relief Fund. According to the web site unitedwaygc.org/response, United Way is coordinating services with local nonprofits and community leaders to provide support for Greenville County’s most vulnerable neighbors during this critical time, such as food, shelter and access to…
Service Technician Shane Wright paid forward $500 to 13 year old Fountain Inn resident Kieli and her mother Lisa Bukacek. Kieli has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a rare and aggressive cancer that requires aggressive treatments. Kieli’s oncologist said her case was one of just 3 in the nation that had presented with symptoms…
Information Technology Help Desk Technician Telly Williams paid forward $500 to the Happy Wheels program at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital. Happy Wheels volunteers push a cart filled with new books and toys through the hallways of the Children’s Hospital to each inpatient room. Each child chooses a book or toy to keep every week for…
Project Coordinator Joey Parker paid forward $500 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital . According to their website, stjude.org, treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80%. Joey admits he has a soft spot for kids. He said, “The kids who find themselves with a disease like cancer can’t help…
Cashier Jean Hester paid forward $500 to Simpsonville First Baptist Church’s Music Ministry for the Wilma Jones Ringers Handbell Choir. Jean, who has been a member of the church for 40 years and has played handbells for 30 of them, said, “The Wilma Jones Ringers is a great ministry. We have a 5 octave choir…
Pay It Forward October 2019 – Jody Cousins Lineman Jody Cousins paid forward $500 to Fostering Great Ideas, a 501 c3 non-profit that seeks to improve the experience for every child in foster care. According to their website, fgi4kids.org, “Knowing that losses multiply, and stress amplifies the longer a child stays in care, our goal is…
Cashier Ashton Curry paid forward $500 to a Laurens resident who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2018. Allyson Sherer has seen several specialists in the area and her family travels to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to undergo treatments. Ashton said, “I have followed Allyson’s journey since she was diagnosed, and recently discovered…
LEC Payroll Administrator Marie Bishop paid forward $500 in toys, books, movies and other supplies to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Prisma Health–Upstate (formerly Greenville Memorial) hospital. She was inspired to help when her 13 year old niece Addison became critically ill in February of 2019 and was admitted to the PICU. Marie…
LEC Dispatch Controller Sherry Brantley paid forward $500 to co-worker and Customer Service Representative Jamesia In addition to suffering from a medical condition that has caused her to miss work, Jamesia – a single mother – also recently became guardian of her two nephews as well as full time caretaker of her grandmother. Sherry said,…
As President of LEC’s chapter of Women in Rural Electrification (WIRE), May’s recipient of the employee Pay It Forward funds Sherri Davenport is hyper-aware of the needs of people in her community. WIRE is a community service organization affiliated with electric cooperatives in South Carolina. Laurens Electric’s chapter of WIRE consists of co-op employees and…
