Shave for the Brave News
Nalcor is going bigger and better for Round 2
Posted on Feb 11, 2011
When a friend and colleague was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Nancy Hart and her coworkers at Nalcor Energy saw the Shave for the Brave as an opportunity to help people like her friend cope with their illnesses even though they were powerless to help them get better.
“There was nothing that we could do except for stand by and wait and help and support. I really felt the need to do something and jump to action, so this was one thing I could do that was relatively quick, relatively easy, and I could raise a lot of money in a short amount of time,” Nancy said.
Six people from all different areas of Nalcor—and a couple of their kids—got involved with the Shave last year at Hydro Place in St. John’s.
“The eight of us that shaved didn’t really know each other, and we formed such a team. I felt like these [people] were my family by the time the Shave for the Brave actually happened and I don’t know if I would have been able to get through the actual Shave event without their guiding support, and chanting, and big smiles.”
Nancy says Nalcor has over 1,000 employees and it can be difficult to get to know all the people you see everyday in the lobby.
“It just brought us all together…Now I have those contacts that I never ever had before. It’s a great experience to get involved and meet some new people,” she said.
Nancy is opting out of the haircut this year but she’s upping her role as the company’s Head Hunter (Shave organizer). Instead of holding one event at one building, the company is encouraging employee engagement even further this year and challenging all of their locations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to get on board.
“We have pretty stiff competition already between all our locations. We don’t have a big prize or anything but it’s bragging rights and I think bragging rights are probably the biggest prize that we could offer anyway.”
“So far we have one VP who very willingly donated their hair to the cause. We also have a couple of employees and a five-year old daughter of one of the employees who has also so graciously offered to get involved.”
“It’s those young people that when they come forward, you can’t help but just think how generous and kind of spirit and kind of heart they are.”
Nancy is hoping her colleagues have seen the impact of being a Shaver has had on her since. People know her as a person with long hair and her current hairstyle prompts a lot of questions that she is happy to answer, such as why she shaved her head, if she had cancer, and how people can get involved in the future.
“I ran into so many cancer survivors who just told me that it meant so much to them that I shaved my head and I’m kind of thinking, ‘I’m just a regular Joe who shaved my head, it was very easy for me to do. You’re the one who fought cancer.’”
“That show of solidarity and getting behind people, that was the most rewarding part for me,” she said.
This event doesn’t just create a community between the Shavers, the entire company got involved last year when the social club dedicated the weekly casual day to the cause. When people paid their money for their casual clothing, they were given tickets based on how much money they donated for a draw of prizes the Shavers had acquired. The social club was able to contribute $1,600 to the total.
Overall they raised about $10,000 for Young Adult Cancer Canada and we were able to help a lot of young adult cancer survivors in Canada.
“It’s such an easy cause to get behind and support and feel good about that once you start spreading the word people tend to step up when you least expect it,” said Nancy.
STOP THINKING. START SHAVING.
If you’re interested in hosting a Shave at your office, please contact us at info@youngadultcancer.ca.
