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March/April 2016 | 13 Christmas Day brought severe flooding that left eight trucks and three chippers swamped in waist-high waters on the Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corporation account in Alabama. Marc Sargent, utility supervisor, said one of his employees, Randy Thibeault, discovered the flooded trucks while driving through Danville, Alabama, on Christmas Day. He texted Sargent at about the same time Vance Nall, account manager for Eastern Utility Services, had heard about the flooding and reached out to Sargent. "At that point I tried to leave the house and everything around me was flooded, all the roads and highways, and I couldn't get out to move the trucks," Sargent says. Alabama and parts of the South were hammered with rain Christmas Day. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency. Local news media featured wall-to-wall coverage of washed-out roads and houses under water. Fortunately, all the trucks needed were to have their engine, transmission, axle and hydraulic fluids drained, the parts flushed and then refilled with new fluids. Sargent says the situation even had a silver lining – bringing his crews closer together. "The days after Christmas we were out there working on trucks," Sargent says. "There were guys who came in to help who we didn't call in, no questions asked, to help us get their equipment back up and running so they could do their job." Foreman Bill Scott, who works for the Northeast Detroit R/C crew, knew his life would never be the same after his 14-year-old daughter Katlyn was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and needed a heart transplant. (You may recall Katlyn's story from the 2015 March/April MyDavey Bulletin.) His daughter's successful surgery inspired Scott to do more. Scott, with the support of family and friends, wanted to create a non-profit named after his fearless daughter. His dream came true with the help of a larger non-profit, The Charlie Sanders Foundation, created by the Detroit Lions. Katlyn's Krew became an official non-profit. The Charlie Sanders Foundation's continuing mission to prevent heart related deaths of Michigan youth made them the perfect fit to further the Katlyn's Krew efforts. That is why both organizations collaborated to put on the inaugural Katlyn's Krew 5k Race for Hearts: Remembering THANKFUL HEARTS FLOODING FOR CHRISTMAS Charlie Sanders event. More than 70 racers participated, including Detroit Lions mascot, Roary, and Davey District Manager David Bargerstock. "David has been supportive of Katlyn's Krew since the beginning," says Scott. The rest of the Northeast Detroit crew helped out on race day. The Race for Hearts 5k raised enough money to provide 200 free heart screenings for Katlyn's fellow St. Clair High School students to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest. "It was our first race and we got a lot of great reviews," Scott says. Flood waters surrounded bucket and pick-up trucks. Davey's supportive Northeast Detroit R/C crew helped out a fellow employee's charity race, including (pictured left to right) David Bargerstock, Jon Streich, The Detroit Lions Mascot Roary, Timon Alongi, Bill Scott, Bob Brinker, Zachary La Combe and John Laporte. Severe weather on Christmas Day flooded much of Alabama, including where these Davey trucks were parked in Danville.