BY JAMES WELLS
Waterloo Regional Police were joined by friends, family and members of the Galactic Empire for the annual Cops for Cancer event on Oct. 1.
The local fundraiser was hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society at Cambridge City Hall, one of the many event locations throughout October.
Officers from the Waterloo Regional Police Service participated in the fundraiser.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society’s website, it’s a tradition every year for the participating officers to collect pledges from co-workers, friends, family and the community in order to raise funds for cancer awareness.
“This year we’ve specifically donated all the funds raised to children’s cancer research,” said Auxiliary Const. John Klager.
Once all the money was collected and counted, the top 10 officers with the most money raised got to show their support for cancer awareness by getting their head shaved.
Klager was one of the winners. “This is my seventh year doing this event,” he said. “My dad was diagnosed with cancer, so that was the first year I decided to shave my head in support of him.”
This year Cops for Cancer also included a silent auction, a draw for a chance to win a dinner with Chief of Police Bryan Larkin of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, a concert by Collective and a Jail ’n’ Bail, where people were thrown into a mock cell and set free only after getting a certain amount in donations.
Darth Vader, two Stormtroopers and Astromech R2-E6 of the Galactic Empire, were also in attendance to show their support for cancer awareness from a galaxy far, far away.
There were many volunteers for the Canadian Cancer Society helping out at this year’s event, one of whom was a cancer survivor himself. Jon Constable (“like the officer,” he said) is a first-time volunteer for the Cops for Cancer event. He beat prostate cancer shortly after it was discovered back in 2011.
“Ever since my cancer was removed, I go in for a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test every six months. So far all of my tests have been clear,” he said.
Constable and his family have experienced the physical and mental stresses of cancer. He now gives back to those who, like him, have
been touched by cancer in a direct or indirect way.
For more information about the Canadian Cancer Society or the Cops for Cancer events, visit www.cancer.ca.
What is Journalism?