In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Wilmington Police Officers have been authorized to wear a new patch for the month of September. The patch was designed by WPD Clerk Dawn Naimo and Sergeant Matthew Stavro with assistance from the WPD Patch Program coordinator, Ofc. Emily McMeekin. The patch is meant to bring attention to childhood cancer and also to support the Jimmy Fund. The Jimmy Fund, established in Boston in 1948, is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults.
The patch holds a special place in Dawn Naimo’s heart, as her son is a childhood cancer survivor. Her oldest son was diagnosed with a form of leukemia at the age of 9. “He went through 5 or 6 years of treatment and fortunately has been in remission for the last 8 years,” said Naimo. Her son went for his treatments at a Jimmy Fund clinic. The Naimo family is so grateful for the support that they received from the Jimmy Fund during that time and hopes no more families have to go through the devastating diagnosis of a child with cancer. “Unfortunately, the funding for childhood cancer research is not where you would think it should be,” she said, “Of all the federal funding for cancer research, all of the childhood cancers combined only get 4% of that funding.”
To help support the Jimmy Fund in its mission, the Wilmington Police Department will be selling these patches to the general public during the month of September. All proceeds will specifically go to pediatric cancer research. Patches are $10 each and can be purchased at the front desk of the WPD by cash or check. Checks should be made out to The Jimmy Fund. Patches will additionally be available for purchase at the Wilmington Farmers Market on September 10 and the Fall Fest on September 30.
For more information about the Childhood Cancer Patch or the Wilmington Police Patch Program, contact Ofc. Emily McMeekin at emcmeekin@wpd.org.