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Date: 11/7/2018
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The West Springfield Police Department will soon be sporting their best facial hair to help raise cancer awareness.
The department is participating in No-Shave November, a month-long journey beginning on Nov. 1 that encourages participants to forgo shaving and grooming to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness. In order to participate, each officer must raise a minimum of $50. The funds will go toward awareness for local cancer research and support at Mercy Hospital. Although facial hair is against department policy, due to safety and professional reasons, Interim Chief Robert Duffy has given the department permission to participate in the fundraiser for a second year in a row.
“Cancer affects just about everybody. The more we can do to help combat cancer, the better off we’re going to be,” said Duffy.
Officer Lance Stowell, who has been personally affected by cancer, is credited for kick-starting the fundraiser within the department last year.
The department raised around $2,500 last year. This year, Stowell hopes to double that.
“My family, unfortunately, has been touched by the c-word,” he told Reminder Publishing. “I lost several family members to cancer, so I realize it’s something that has been long overdue. We need to find a cure for this.”
The concept of No-Shave November is to “grow” awareness by embracing body hair, which is something many cancer-patients lose during treatment. The No-Shave November website encourages participants to donate the money “you typically spend on shaving and grooming” to educate about cancer prevention and aid those fighting the battle.
The rules are simple: put down your razor for 30 days and donate your monthly hair-maintenance expenses to the cause in some way, shape, or form. The website states that participants who deal with strict dress codes at work can still participate by donating money to the cause.
The “No-Shave November” organization is a web-based, non-profit organization devoted to growing cancer awareness and raising funds to support cancer prevention, research and education.
According to www.cancer.gov, an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018 – and 609,640 people will die from the disease. It states the most common cancers are breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, melanoma of the skin, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, and liver cancer.
To make a donation or sponsor a WSPD officer, send your checks – payable to the West Springfield Police Club – to 26 Central St., West Springfield, MA 01089 (attention Police). Include “NSN” in the note section of your check.