More than 30 Haverhill police and staff are dropping pounds this month in support of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Members of the Haverhill Police Department are joining with other law enforcement divisions throughout the state to lose weight during the “Drop It Challenge.” Residents may support the 32 members by pledging a dollar amount for each pound lost or donating a flat amount to the participant of their choice.
Haverhill Police Director of Officer Wellness Amy Carter. with Mayor James J. Fiorentini. (File photograph.)
Haverhill Police Director of Officer Wellness Amy Carter told WHAV the department raising the most money will assign one of its police cruisers to travel from Gillette Stadium to Jimmy Fund Way. During the last leg of the trip, the cruiser will be pushed by eight to 10 officers to the expected delight of younger Dana-Farber patients watching from an overhead bridge.
“So, it’s a really emotional event. It’s a great cause and, for us, it’s really a twofer: the officers get to work to lose weight, get healthier, but they’re also raising money for cancer at the same time,” she said.
Beyond raising money for a good cause, Carter explains, “This challenge and this cause has personal meaning to us as a department because we have had officers in the department for whom cancer has touched their lives in a very challenging way. It is a cause very close to our hearts. We have seen officers struggle and officers’ families struggle,” she added.
Participants weighed in Sunday, May 1, and will compare when they step on the scale again Saturday, May 28.
To choose a participant to sponsor or make a flat donation of any amount, residents may click here.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says, since its founding in 1947, it has provided adults and children with cancer with the best treatment available today while developing tomorrow’s cures through cutting-edge research.”