RBC | The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office (RBCSO) will host a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness this October. The department is participating in the “Pink Patch Project,” a nationwide campaign designed to draw attention to the battle against breast cancer. For the month of October, the department will “go pink,” wearing uniform shirts with special edition shoulder patches that feature the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. The patches will be available for purchase by the public for $10 each, and the proceeds will be divided between Pioneers Medical Center and Rangely District Hospital.
The Pink Patch Project (PPP) started in California in 2013 with one police department and has since expanded to 966 agencies that have raised more than $2 million for breast cancer awareness. This year, thanks to RBSCO Sergeant Joe McGuire and Undersheriff Travis Mobley, Rio Blanco County will participate.
McGuire, a three-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, said he was asked to come up with ideas for “serving beyond what we already do” to increase positive interactions with the citizens they’re tasked to protect and serve. McGuire, who comes from a law enforcement family, has been a collector of police shoulder patches since he was in high school. He currently has “about 500” in his personal collection.
The practice of exchanging police patches or emblems has long been a sign of cooperation between departments, with displays of patches frequently seen in police a. Collecting the patches is a way to preserve law enforcement history.
Pioneers Medical Center CEO Liz Sellers said via email, “We are excited to participate with the RBCSO on their Pink Patch Project to support October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit our county’s residents, presenting a tremendous opportunity to help our community. Pioneers Healthcare Foundation will utilize the funds raised to support our Cancer Screening Fund, which offers mammograms to Eastern Rio Blanco County residents who are not insured or underinsured.”
Patches will be available at the front window at the Sheriff’s Office, at both hospitals, and the Sheriff’s Office will have tables at the “Pink Out” games at both high schools in October. Alternatively, send $10 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to PO Box 1460, Meeker, CO 81641, to purchase a patch.
