In 2023, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives raised over $171,800 for the Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals – the largest amount the organization has ever donated to the burn facility.
“North Carolina Electric Cooperative’s longstanding partnership with the NC 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 that need care,” said Winston Howell, chief executive officer at Edgecombe-Martin County EMC and North Carolina’s Electric Cooperative’s representative for the Jaycee Burn Center.
For 25 years, the cooperatives have been raising money to support the work that the burn center has done to care for patients across our state.
In total, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives has donated over $2.8 million to support the staff and patients in Chapel Hill.
While the cooperatives have been a proud sponsor for the last quarter century, the support for the burn center goes back much further – 1972 to be exact.
Cooperative support for burn care
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.
Opening its doors in 1981, the burn center was able to provide care for electrical workers, firefighters and several other professions.
“The burn center wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” said Dr. Booker King, director of the Jaycee Burn Center. “There was a need for care for these
workers and he helped to make it happen. This partnership goes back decades, and if it wasn’t for Mr. Stackhouse and the cooperatives, there would be no burn center.”
Industry leader
Today, the Jaycee Burn Center is among the five busiest burn centers in the country, admitting an average of 1,600 patients annually.
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 their overall care capabilities.
“Our annual donations allow the NC Jaycee Burn Center to purchase new equipment and technology so they may care for patients more effectively,” said Howell. “Our funding also allocates funds for research fellows and aftercare which allow the Burn Center to remain on the cutting edge of research and to provide care for patients after they have been discharged.”
The Jaycee Burn Center says this year’s donation will help them continue to serve individuals and families across North Carolina – helping them return to happy and productive lives.