Employees of Tower Federal Credit Union, which has its headquarters in Laurel, have taken a team approach to supporting cancer research.

Last month, Tower Federal Credit Union's Team for the Cure joined the nearly 45,000 participants at the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. June 6. The group of 21 employee volunteers boarded a chartered bus at the Laurel headquarters and traveled to the Mall.

Since 2002, Tower's Team for the Cure has coordinated numerous fundraisers, such as car washes and bake sales, for not only the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation but also the American Cancer Society. Since the Team's inception, they have raised nearly $30,000 for the two organizations.

The team divides the funds raised after each event and sends each organization a donation in support of research, development and education.

Some of the team's fundraising activities have included bake sales, cafeteria lunches, car washes, silent auctions and gift basket raffles.

Team for the Cure was organized by Bonnie Davis and Mary Petricoin, two Tower employees that were breast cancer survivors and wanted to support cancer research. Davis has worked for Tower as an automated clearing house and check operations supervisor for 10 years. In April 2001, Davis encouraged Tower employees to form a team and participate in Relay for Life, an annual community-oriented event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Petricoin was Tower's deposit services manager before retiring in February after more than 24 years of service. In the same year, Petricoin had coordinated a group of employees to run, walk and raise funds for the annual Race for a Cure. In 2002, the two women joined forces and formed Tower's Team for the Cure.

Davis and fellow co-worker and cancer survivor Jean Hammil joined the 2009 Relay for Life at Hammond High School in Columbia June 5. The two women donned "survivor" caps, pins and purple T-shirts.

In addition to its Team for a Cure, Tower employees support the community with a yearly toy, food and clothing drive to benefit Sarah's House, a local group that helps homeless families; blood drives with the American Red Cross; and book fairs, raffles and food sales to benefit the Children's Miracle Network and the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

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