LPSO has raised more than $4K in ‘No Shave November’ push

If you see a uniformed police officer patrolling the streets looking a little scruffy, give him a pat on the back and thank him because that beard means he’s raising money for cancer awareness.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office announced recently that it is taking part in No Shave November — a popular pop culture and social media craze that takes the internet by storm every autumn.

Uniformed officers are usually clean shaven with the only facial hair allowed being a mustache.

This November, officers were allowed to grow out their facial hair — so long as they made a $25 donation. That money will go toward a national effort to raise awareness and funding for the fight against cancer.

“Our local law enforcement officers may look a little ‘different’ in November, but it’s for a great cause,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said. “Each of us has been directly affected or knows someone who’s been affected by cancer — and our law enforcement is no exception. By growing our beards, we are embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose during treatment.”

This idea was actually spearheaded and created by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. When they launched the project, they challenged several other law enforcement agencies around the state to do the same.

Locally, several bit.

LPSO joined the initiative, as did the Thibodaux Police Department, Lockport Police Department, Golden Meadow Police Department, Port Fourchon Harbor Police, Gonzales Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

All money will be donated to the American Cancer Society at the end of the month.

The American Cancer Society funds and conducts research, shares expert information, supports patients, and spreads the word about prevention. For more information on the American Cancer Society, please visit their website: www.cancer.org.

If one wants to help out in LPSO’s efforts, that’s also welcome.

Checks made out to the American Cancer Society can be dropped off at any LPSO location.

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By Casey Gisclair