LAREMORE, Okla. -- A police department is encouraging its male officers to put down their razors and stop shaving for the month of November.
Despite a strict policy prohibiting most facial hair, the officers at the Claremore Police Department plan to grow beards for a specific fundraiser.
Each bearded officer will have to pay a "fine" of $25 per week to keep it, and the department will set aside that money to buy a Christmas present for every student at Claremont Elementary School.
"That's what we do is we try to go out and help people in our community," Lt. Matt Wild said, "so this is just something easy for us to do that brings in money and helps a lot of kids."
After working for the Claremore Police Department for the past 16 years, Lt. Wild said it will be strange not to shave for the next month.
"It's something that we just don't ever get to do because, by policy, we're required to shave every day that we come to work," he said, "so to not have to shave for a whole month, that's a big deal for us."
Police set a goal to collect $3,500 through this fundraiser. Community sponsors have also agreed to chip in and donate to the cause, which will allow the department to buy toys for more than 450 students in December.
"The kids, some of them will cry," Randa Fay, the Claremont principal, said about her students eventually getting the gifts. "They will be overjoyed. We'll have teachers cry. I'll probably cry."
Anyone who would like to donate to the No Shave November fundraiser can make out checks to "Toys for Tots" and drop them off at the Claremore Police Department.
