By Lauren Young

Staff writer

Have you noticed some Manlius Police Department officers sporting scruffier-than-usual looks this month? It’s because many of them are participating in No Shave November, a campaign that raises funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer during November by encouraging people to put down the razor and let their hair grow freely.

This is the first year the department is participating in No Shave November, partnering with the American Cancer Society, with the goal to “grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free,” according to No-shave.org. Money otherwise spent on shaving and grooming is encouraged to be donated toward this campaign, which started in 2009 as an awareness and fundraising campaign for cancer research, prevention and education.

“We’re honored to participate in the program; it’s a great opportunity for our officers to have some fun and promote our partnership with The American Cancer Society to raise awareness about the various cancers,” said Manlius Police Chief Michael Crowell.

The concept was first brought to Crowell’s attention by his officers who asked if the department could participate this year.

“I knew about the program from other agencies, but didn’t understand it to the extent that I do now,” said Crowell. Crowell said once he learned about the program and how it benefits cancer patients, he thought it was a “wonderful opportunity” for officers to help raise awareness in the community, especially as one of its own sergeants, Sgt. Ken Hatter, has been battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for the past 11 years.

Recently, however, Hatter’s struggle was met with relief when on Tuesday, Nov. 20, he received a bone marrow transplant from a 27-year-old man in the military. From there, he will spend the next four to six weeks in the hospital for recovery.

To show their support for both Hatter and other cancer patients and survivors, some male officers have grown out their facial hair while some female officers are sporting light blue nail polish, associated with prostate cancer awareness, or dark blue nail polish, associated with colon cancer awareness.

Each member participating was also asked to make a donation to the American Cancer Society, and while Crowell said he was unsure of the total amount donated by officers, he said it was certainly “a lot.”

According to Crowell, most officers are participating this year, including himself. While officers have not received any complaints about their facial hair yet, Crowell said they’ve experienced a few odd looks here and there, but most residents seem to know about the cause.

“It’s nice to see when they understand the program,” he said.

Due to this year’s success, Crowell said he is looking forward to the department participating in No Shave November again next year.

To donate or learn more about No Shave November, visit No-shave.org. Donations collected through the website go to Fight Colorectal Cancer, St. Jude’s Research Hospital and Prevent Cancer Foundation.