No Shave November 2021

In November 2017 Tulsa Police Academy class 2017-110 and class 2017-111 started a No Shave November fundraiser within the Training Division. With the participation of class 2017-110, class 2017-111 and the training staff more than $1,700 in donations were raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2018 the decision was made to start donating to The Children’s Hospital Foundation at Saint Francis.

This fundraiser was started by Detective Christopher Gallegos because of his own personal experience. Chris was diagnosed with AML Leukemia and HLH in October of 2015. After being sick for 9 months and losing close to 60 pounds he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester; Minnesota for 7 weeks. He was told by doctors that he was 1 of 12 cases in the world with these two auto-immune diseases. For the next 6 months Chris received several rounds of high dose chemotherapy to treat these two auto-immune diseases. These hospital visits and treatments financially drained Chris and his wife Lisa. To compound upon the expenses, Chris also lost his job. Luckily for them, his wife worked for ONEOK. ONEOK employees have an emergency fund set up for employee families for hardships like these. Because of these funds they were able to get the treatment Chris needed and, offset some of the mounting expenses.

The men and women of the Tulsa Police Department along with others will be able to participate by giving a minimum of $25 to the specified cause. The No Shave aspect of this fundraiser will be growing a mustache within the policy of the Personal Grooming Standards 31-320 pg. 2 of 3.

Tulsa Police Department Policies and Procedures: Personal Grooming Standards 31-320 Pg. 2 of 3

o A mustache shall be neatly trimmed, not extend over the upper lip, or below the corners of the mouth, and not extend more than ¼” horizontally past the corners of the mouth.

This year we wanted to make this fundraiser more personable for the Tulsa Police Department and the Children’s Hospital Foundation at Saint Francis. The Exploitation Unit was advised by Dr. Phil Barton PICU at The Children’s Hospital Foundation at Saint Francis that there is anywhere from 80-100 children at all times admitted in the hospital. We would like to buy each child a gift/gifts up to $50. With that number in mind there is a goal amount of $5,000 for the fundraiser this year. If we cannot reach the $5,000 goal, then all donations will go towards the Children’s Hospital Foundation at Saint Francis in one lump sum.

When the month is over, the funds will be delivered to The Children’s Hospital Foundation at Saint Francis within the first week of December. My hope is that this fundraiser will grow exponentially within the Tulsa Police Department with each new year. Other departments around the state have done similar fundraisers in the past and I think the Tulsa Police Department can be just as successful as they have been if not more.

This verse was written on Chris’ board during his stay at the Mayo Clinic:

“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.” – Psalms 91:5-7