From left: Shriners Donor Development Assistant Kathleen Fontaine, Police Chief Lawrence P. Valliere, Officer Zach Coderre, Shriners Director of Donor Development Stacey Perlmutter, and Officer Jared Rowe. (PETER CURRIER PHOTO)
SPRINGFIELD- The Westfield Police Department donated more than $8,000 to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield from its 2nd annual No-Shave-November drive.
The $8,132 donated by the police department nearly doubles the amount that was raised in the inaugural No-Shave-November drive in 2019. Officers Zach Coderre and Jared Rowe organized the fundraiser.
In 2019, officers Coderre and Rowe approached Police Chief Lawrence P. Valliere about allowing officers to take part in No-Shave-November if they donated $100 to Shriners Hospital. Typically the Westfield Police Department employs a grooming standard that prohibits beards. Valliere agreed to let the policy slide for a month in the name of the charity.
This year the fundraiser was extended to December, which Coderre and Rowe said helped them nearly double their funds raised last year.
Shriners Hospital for Children is a non-profit organization that has 22 hospitals across the country, including the location in Springfield. They specialize in treating orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lips and palates in children.
Valliere said he hopes to break the $10,000 mark for the 2021 fundraiser in November.
Shriners Hospitals for Children has a mission to:
- Provide the highest quality care to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special healthcare needs within a compassionate, family-centered and collaborative care environment.
- Provide for the education of physicians and other healthcare professionals.
- Conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families.
This mission is carried out without regard to race, color, creed, sex or sect, disability, national origin, or ability of a patient or family to pay.
