For 25 years, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have been helping drive innovation and enhance care at one of the nation’s top burn centers by going the distance on the golf course.

Every year since 1999, cooperative leaders and industry partners have come together to play a round of golf, with proceeds from the event supporting the Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Health Care.

Dale Lambert, retired CEO of Randolph EMC and former Burn Center Advisory Board member, lines up to putt.

In total, the co-ops have donated more than $2.8 million to support the staff and patients in Chapel Hill.

“North Carolina’s electric cooperatives’ longstanding partnership with the Jaycee Burn Center further emphasizes our commitment to community and the importance of having a comprehensive burn center in North Carolina to care for patients and potentially employees who need care,” said Winston Howell, chief executive officer at Edgecombe-Martin County EMC and North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives’ representative for the Jaycee Burn Center.

While the cooperatives have been proud sponsors for the last quarter century, their support for the burn center goes back much further—1972, to be exact.

Members of UNC Hospitals and Howell at golf tournament banquet dinner. (L to R) Derek Miller, Anita Fields, Winston Howell, Jess Irven, Dr. King and Joellen Buckio.

John Stackhouse, a founder of the Jaycee Burn Center and creator of Stackhouse Incorporated, saw firsthand how burns were impacting the electric industry. With a lack of adequate care for employees who suffered burns, Stackhouse, alongside the board of the Rural Electric Association, each pledged $40,000 to help establish a burn center.

Today, the Jaycee Burn Center is among the five busiest burn centers in the country, admitting an average of 1,600 patients annually.

“North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are really our major supporter,” said Dr. Booker T. King, director of the Jaycee Burn Center. “Their support allows us to do many of the things we’re able to do in terms of taking care of all patients.”

Beyond patient care, the burn center is committed to education—helping prevent burns before they happen through classes and community programs. With the support of the cooperatives, the burn center has been able to bolster these programs and expand its overall care capabilities.

“Our funding also allocates resources for research fellows and aftercare, which allows the burn center to remain on the cutting edge of research and provide care for patients after they have been discharged,” said Howell.

The Jaycee Burn Center says its goal is to serve individuals and families across North Carolina—helping them return to happy and productive lives. The money raised by the cooperatives will help the center serve not only the patients they see every day but also potentially save many others from burns before they occur.