Starting on November 1 through November 30, the Lower Township Police Department, along with many other departments nationwide, will be participating in “No-Shave November” to benefit a local cancer victim. One of the goals of “No–Shave November” is to raise cancer awareness by embracing our hair (which many cancer patients lose), and letting it grow wild and free.  Another goal is to use the money you typically would spend on shaving and grooming, to educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting the battle. Our officers and staff will be contributing a minimum of $50.00 per month to participate. 

This year we support Kelianne O’Shea and her family. Kelianne O’Shea is a lifelong resident of Lower Township and currently resides in Erma with her parents, Patty & Gary O’Shea. Patty is a retired teacher from the Lower Township Elementary School District and her father Gary is employed at the same district as the Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds.

At only 28 years old, Kelianne has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is currently receiving treatment at MD Anderson Cooper in Camden. Kelianne is an Environmentalist at the Stone Harbor Wetlands Institute and prior to that, she was a Zoo Keeper at the Cape May County Zoo. This past weekend, she married the love of her life, Andrew Field, who is a Telecommunications Field Technician. Kelianne has as super positive attitude and is looking forward to beating cancer! November is Pancreatic Cancer awareness month.

So, please don’t be startled when you see one of your local officers sporting a beard, goatee or longer than usual hair length, it’s all for a great cause! If anyone else would like to donate to this worthy cause, we will also be collecting donations through November 30, 2024. All donations collected will go directly to the family. Checks may be made out to the Lower Township Officer’s Association with “No-Shave November” in the memo line. These donations can be dropped off or mailed to the Lower Township Police Department at 405 Breakwater Road, Erma, NJ 08204. All donations will be provided to the family in December, collectively. For more information about the program, please visit their website at https://no-shave.org/.

We thank you in advance for any contribution to the family.