How Gurnee police can break the rules for a good cause
Police officers in Gurnee are being allowed to break an internal personal appearance policy for good causes for the rest of the year.
Police Chief Kevin Woodside announced $2,000 was raised through the department's No-Shave November for the Jon Callaghan Memorial Fund at Monday's village board meeting. Money for the fund also was raised in last week's Jon Callaghan Memorial Turkey Trot.
Officers, who must be clean-shaven except for a mustache under the department policy, were allowed to grow a beard in November for a $40 contribution to the Gurnee Fraternal Order of Police Social Lodge. In turn, the Gurnee FOP Social Lodge committed to giving the money to the Callaghan Memorial Fund.
Sporting a beard, Woodside said 43 cops participated and the FOP lodge chipped in the extra cash to make the donation an even $2,000.
"It's nice to be able to do something to add a little bit of fun, to allow people that have never been able to grow a beard because of our uniform policy," Woodside said. "For many years - in my case, almost 27 years - of shaving every morning, I've had the opportunity to grow this (beard). It's a little whiter than I thought it was going to be."
About a dozen bearded officers attended Monday's village board meeting. Because of the strong showing, Woodside said, they'll get to keep the extra facial hair through "Double-Down December" for a charitable effort to provide holiday gifts to military families with specific hardships.
Police have embraced the Callaghan fund since it started 18 years ago. Money from the fund has been distributed to Gurnee Elementary District 56's special-needs program, the Warren Township Food Pantry and the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital's neuroblastoma research program.
Jon's parents, Mike and Kim Callaghan, accepted the donation from Woodside. A committee that includes the Callaghans, police and other village leaders decide on the fund's annual distributions after the Turkey Trot.
"I'd just like to thank the FOP for an extremely generous gift," Mike Callaghan said, "and thanks so much for all the effort that you all put into it to make it such a great success, also."
Jon Callaghan was a District 56 student when he died after a courageous battle with neuroblastoma cancer in 1997. The 11-year-old boy's illness became a rallying point in the Gurnee community, with schools, parks and civic groups combining to sponsor several fundraisers after Jon was diagnosed in 1995.
Police again helped organize last Thursday's 21st annual Turkey Trot. The race began providing proceeds to the Callaghan fund in its third year.