No-Shave November Campaign Supports Lacey Police Dispatcher

LACEY, NJ — Members of the Lacey Township Police Department once again broke protocol in November for a good cause.

Lacey Township police and EMS participated in the national No-Shave November campaign. Since 2016, the department has successfully raised over $26,000 through their annual campaigns.

These funds were disseminated through various cancer charities including, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as directed by the No-Shave November campaign.

The 2020 campaign was dedicated to Chief John Szafranski III of the Lanoka Harbor Volunteer Fire Department, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

This year’s campaign recognized Lacey Township Police Dispatcher Kasmira “Kasey” Kanka. Though Kanka has been employed with the Lacey Township Police Department since October of 2015, her battle with cancer far exceeds her time as a police dispatcher.

“At just 17 years old, Kasey was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, requiring her to not only undergo multiple surgeries, but also begin an excessive amount of medication,” Chief Michael C. DiBella said in a news release.

He continued “As a direct result of this, Kasey ultimately developed Stage 4 Melanoma Cancer. From there, she received devastating news that the cancer had reached her lymph nodes, further requiring extensive surgery to remove it. This only worsened her previous medical diagnosis, essentially leaving Kasey with a decision of which battle she wished to fight.

"Kasey was quietly maintaining this battle while continuing her dispatching services to Lacey Township and our officers. Kasey is a pleasure to work with, and her contagious positivity during such a trying time is often noted. We are proud to call her a member of our Lacey Police/PBA Family, and continue to support her during her courageous battle.”

Lacey Township PBA #238 will be matching participating member’s personal donations for Kanka.

Although the “after” photo taken on Nov. 30 lists the total collected as $6,601, the department continues to receive donations toward the No-Shave Campaign and raised a total of $7,276.

The no-shave policy will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2021.

Any questions about the initiative can be directed to Sergeant George Resetar at 609-693-6636 ext. 2590, or Officer Michael Hutman at 609-693-6636 ext. 2527.

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