PVPD Cares: A No-Shave November fundraiser is being organized by the Prairie Village Police Department for cancer patient, junior Carlie Foutch and her family

The Prairie Village Police Department is hosting its annual No-Shave November fundraiser until Nov. 30 to raise money for this year’s beneficiary, cancer patient, junior Carlie Foutch and her family. All the money raised from the fundraiser will go to the Foutch family to help them pay for Foutch’s treatment and other medical bills.

Foutch was diagnosed with acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2021, a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal blood cells. She was able to receive a bone marrow transplant, but less than a year later her cancer relapsed. 

 “It’s very heartwarming that so many people care,” Foutch’s mother, Misty Kramer said. “They care for the cause, they care about my daughter, it is a struggle every day. It’s tiring trying to do the best for my daughter.”

The officers will fundraise during the month of November by donating $20 to Foutch and her family to be allowed to grow out their facial hair. The officers usually have to be clean-shaven while on duty so the fundraiser gives them a chance to have some facial hair. The officers also have to donate an extra $20 as a penalty if they shave at any point during the month. 

“That’s how we’ve always done it,” Sergeant Luke Roth said. “If they don’t pay they don’t get facial hair, because typically we don’t wear facial hair. It’s kind of an incentive, most officers want to grow their beards so all they have to do is pay $20.”

Donations can also be made by members of the community on the department’s GoFundMe linked on their Facebook account, Prairie Village Police Department. 

The department first organized the fundraiser to help raise money for education and research in pediatric cancer for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2021, but this year the department decided to narrow its focus and fundraise for a family in the community. 

Detective Seth Meyer, a past school resource officer at East, reached out to administrators about any potential beneficiaries— Foutch’s family was suggested.

“We wanted to find somebody that we could really make a connection with,” Meyer said. “I’m not saying those big organizations aren’t important because they are, but it’s harder to have that personalized connection. This year, we have that real personal connection.”

Senior Collin Ford’s mom, Joey Ford found the fundraiser on the department’s Facebook account and chose to donate because she had learned about Foutch’s story through a previous Harbinger feature on her.

“I think if it had just been the American Cancer Society or something I might’ve just scrolled past it,” Ford said. “But when I saw that it was for Carlie I was really compelled to donate.”

Meyer contacted Kramer, to ask if the department could organize the fundraiser for the benefit of Foutch and the family, and Kramer agreed. 

“Every little bit helps, so I said, ‘Yes, that’d be great,’” Kramer said. “I know that there are so many kids out there that have gone through [cancer], or will go through that, or are going through that. If she can be kind of an eye-opener to families and other kids because it’s a harsh reality, then I’m okay with that.”

Foutch is unavailable for comment because she is recovering from a hospital visit due to pneumonia and pain. Her treatment has shifted from cure to comfort, and Kramer has been taking off work to give Foutch the care that she needs.

“I can’t leave her home alone anymore,” Kramer said. “If she’s in pain, I have to give her medicine if she needs it, if she’s feeling sick to her stomach, I have to give her a different medicine. I have to hook her up and not her from her G tube feedings and this and that.”

Foutch’s uncle and psychology teacher Brett Kramer explained that the caretaking factor can be a lot more expensive than expected since the bills can start to add up with the lack of an income. Most of the money will go towards the lost wages for the time spent with Foutch.

The officers have already raised more than $1,000 within the first week and though the GoFundMe’s goal is $20,000, Roth just hopes whatever amount they raise will be enough to help Foutch and her family.

 “The majority of our officers have kids and can only imagine Foutch’s family has gone through with financial struggles and hospitals,” Roth said. “So knowing that the money is going to help lift some of this pressure in such a tense situation really makes it worth it.”