Gurnee police allowed to grow beards to help needy kids
Gurnee Police Chief Kevin Woodside wants his officers to have some fun while raising money for the village's inaugural Shop With a Cop effort.
For second consecutive year, Woodside is waiving the typical internal personal appearance policy by letting police employees grow beards this month in exchange for a suggested $40 donation to the Gurnee Fraternal Order of Police Social Lodge.
Money raised through this year's beard growth will help fund Gurnee's first Shop With a Cop program.
"It's important to have a positive first impression, make a positive impact on the community," Woodside said. "And this (Shop With a Cop) is just another way that we can show we're not apart from the community, but we're generally a part of the community. And being able to reach out to kids in this way is very important. We're really looking forward to it."
Deputy Police Chief Willie Meyer likes the idea of relaxing the department's clean-shaven policy for officers in an effort to raise money for a good cause.
"It definitely adds a little fun," Meyer said. "Something a little different."
Meyer said Monday the program is tentatively set for Sunday, Dec. 6. He said the police will host 20 to 30 less fortunate children for a meal and activities at Holiday Inn Gurnee Convention Center on Grand Avenue, then shop for gifts at the Wal-Mart across the street.
Meyer said police are seeking the children from school districts serving Gurnee.
"The plan is to have a 100 bucks a kid, plus or minus," he said.
Last year, 43 Gurnee officers paid $40 to skip shaving for a month to benefit the Jon Callaghan Memorial Fund. An FOP contribution made it an even $2,000 for the fund named for a boy who was a Gurnee Elementary District 56 student when he died after a courageous battle with neuroblastoma cancer in 1997.
Money from the fund has been distributed to District 56's special-needs program, the Warren Township Food Pantry and the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital's neuroblastoma research.
Because about a dozen officers answered Woodside's request to show off their beards at a Gurnee village board meeting in December 2014, Woodside let them keep the facial hair for an extra month. It was called "Double-Down December" for a charitable effort to provide holiday gifts to military families with specific hardships.
Meyer said the FOP lodge is expected to provide money beyond what's raised through the beards for Shop With a Cop.
Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she appreciates the fundraising activities by the police.
"It is very important to us, the whole community policing and the engaging with residents," she said.