From November through this February, Darien Police Officers are fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Officers participating in the fundraiser are required to donate $50 for each month that they participate.
The Darien Police Commission has authorized Police Chief Raymond Osborne to relax grooming standards during this period to allow male officers to grow neatly trimmed beards and female officers to wear earrings.
— an announcement from Darien Police Department
The donations will support “Jenna’s Team” honoring Jenna Dos Santos, daughter of Darien Police Officer Michael Dos Santos, who was diagnosed with leukemia in the spring of 2009.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer research. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Photo from Darien Police Department
From left: Lt. R. Shreders, Officers J. Cusano, R. Flood, K. Taggart, M. Dos Santos, Sgt. A. Hudyma and Lt. T. Whyte.
This year’s fundraiser has already brought in close to $3,000 and this is the sixth year in a row that the Darien Police Department has supported this organization.
Officer Dos Santos reports that Jenna was diagnosed with ALL [Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia] when she was just two years old, and she underwent two and a half years of treatment. Today she’s a happy and healthy 12-year-old who loves dancing and shopping.