The Broome County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the Pink Patch Project again this year.

A national campaign uniting law enforcement and the community to spread breast cancer awareness, the Pink Patch Project raises funds to help local families facing diagnoses. Jennifer McPeek, a county corrections officer, introduced the project to the Sheriff’s Office last October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month every year. To raise money for Broome County families, community members bought fundraiser merchandise, and over 80 members of Broome County Sheriff’s Correction and Road Patrol departments wore pink badges and patches to spread the word.

“Cancer is an issue that’s greatly [affected] my family and [affects] so many families across our community,” McPeek said in a press release. “That makes it all the more inspiring to see so many of my fellow officers, colleagues and community members coming together to help our local families who are fighting this terrible disease.”

The project slowly evolved from a series of fundraisers by California police departments — in 2013, police officers from the Seal Beach California Police Department wore pink patches on their uniforms during October. The Irwindale California Police Department decided to sell their patches to the community in 2015 and raised over $20,000 for City of Hope, a cancer research center. Anthony Miranda, Irwindale’s police chief in 2016, proposed selling pink patches to the Los Angeles Police Chiefs Association, and 25 local agencies supported the idea. The project has grown over the years, boasting hundreds of partner agencies and a variety of first responders including police, sheriff, fire and EMS departments worldwide.

“We’re so proud of Officer McPeek for coming to us with this idea, and seeing it through to fruition,” Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar said in a press release. “The men and women of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office are proud to bring the Pink Patch Project back and join our community in helping raise funds for local families battling cancer. We can’t wait to see the creativity of our local artists and we’re encouraging the public to once again join us for an important cause that truly [affects] all of us.”

In its first year, the office raised more than $4,500 for two charitable organizations — the Community Foundation and the Tina Fund — that help local families fighting cancer by assisting with essential expenses like groceries and child care. This year’s initiative will raise funds for Traci’s Hope, another organization supporting local families dealing with the impacts of breast cancer.

“The response and support from the community and our team here at the Broome County Sheriff’s Office has been wonderful,” McPeek said in a press release. “This year we’re hoping to raise even more funds this year and we’re asking the community to help us design the official Broome County Pink Patch Project Logo.”

The Sheriff’s Office has announced a contest to design a new logo and t-shirt for its annual breast cancer fundraiser, calling on local artists to submit designs. The winning logo will be highlighted on the 2024 Pink Patch Project online store, and the deadline for logo design submissions is Sept. 13.

The contest will help get more people involved in the project, which will strengthen the initiative and provide more support for those with a cancer diagnosis. John Lauricella, the president of the American Cancer Society at Binghamton University said this support is essential.

“We think it is amazing and incredible that the Sheriff’s Office is participating in such an important and meaningful cause like Breast Cancer Awareness through the Pink Patch Project,” Lauricella said. “Cancer is something that affects all of us unfortunately, so tackling this challenge together with the support of so many different organizations is truly special and the only way to defeat the battle against cancer. Breast cancer harshly impacts many people and communities around the world and being able to uplift them through support and outreach events like this is crucial.”