Nipperts, NVREC shine lights on Breast Cancer Awareness Month

HARLAN —Sometimes great ideas take years to put into action. That axiom is now visible for all to see with the Nishnabotna Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (NVREC) tower in Harlan is now adorned with pink lights to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October.
NVREC employee Aaron Nippert and his 17-year-old daughter, Kennedy, have been kicking this idea around for years. Knowing how recognizable the decorated tower is during each Christmas season, it seemed that it could be turned into something bigger. “The Christmas lights are a huge deal to a lot of people, and we’re hoping to make the lights much bigger than just Christmas,” Kennedy said.  She added, “It’s awesome that Dad had faith in this idea; that it could be turned into something bigger for everyone.”
While community awareness of breast cancer was the driving force behind the tower lighting, she will also turn this effort into her National Honor Society  service project at Harlan Community High School, where she is also involved with the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) program.
With approval and funding by the NVREC Board, the plan was put into action with the pink lights turned on Tuesday night, Oct 1.  “I’m very thankful this was approved, and I hope it continues for years to come,” Kennedy said.
And a “big” deal it is.  NVREC employees hoisted some 200 lights up the approximately 200-foot tower. The giant pyramid towers over travelers through Harlan on Hwy. 44 and can be seen for miles in every direction on a clear night.
Aaron and Kennedy each spoke about the importance of awareness and fighting for a cure of breast cancer, and cancer in general. Several members of their extended family are cancer survivors.
A junior at HCHS, Kennedy would urge others of her generation to follow their passions toward any cause important to them. “Anything is possible, and important things are worth fighting for,” she said.
Aaron and Kennedy hope all who travel along Hwy 44 during the month of October will see the bright pink lights stretching to the sky, and take time to think about the importance of finding a cure for breast cancer, and get involved in any way they can.