Wilmington Police Officers Will Support Cause By Not Shaving In Nov.

WILMINGTON, MA — Several members of the Wilmington Police Department will refuse to shave this November, and they will do so for a good cause.

The 8th annual Home Base No Shave campaign raises awareness and funds for critical care that helps veterans and their families heal from invisible wounds, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

The campaign is sponsored by Home Base, a national nonprofit that was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox.

Wilmington officers, whether they are shaving or not, will have an opportunity to give to the cause, and members of the community also can do their part by donating online.

"We have been proud to support Home Base in their mission over the last several years," Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Desmond said. "Our goal this year is to raise $2,000 for this worthy organization."

Since it was created in 2015 as No Shave November, Home Base No Shave has raised more than $1.2 million to fund critical mental health and brain injury care. More than 130 police departments across the country have participated.

Over the years, Home Base has served more than 30,000 veterans and their family members and trained over 85,000 clinicians across the nation.

The charity itself began after the Red Sox' 2007 World Series win, when players and owners met with wounded veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center in Virginia.

After the meeting, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner made a commitment to help address the invisible wounds of war. The organization soon struck up a partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital and formed Home Base.

In a 2017 interview in Boston Magazine, Werner described the trip to Walter Reed.

"We thought it was important to visit Walter Reed Hospital as well as the White House," Werner said. "I spoke with one of the chief administrators of Walter Reed, who was talking about the fact that so many soldiers are coming back after Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

"I thought he would say 15 percent — he said it could be as much as 50 percent. On the flight back, I talked with the team doctor about what we could do."