By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor The Framingham State University Police Department (FSUPD) is participating in the Pink Patch Project during the month of October to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. According to Sgt. Harry Singh, the department has raised $300 through donations from the FSU community and from individuals around the United States. FSUPD’s donation goal is $1,000. Patches are being sold for $10 and can be paid for online at the Susan G. Komen website. According to the website, they are the “only organization that addresses breast cancer on multiple fronts such as research, community health, global outreach, and public policy initiatives in order to make the biggest impact against this disease.” The Susan G. Komen Foundation has invested nearly $3.6 billion in cancer research, according to its website. To show their support, officers of the FSUPD will be wearing a patch identical to the traditional patch with a pink and black color scheme on their duty uniforms. This is the seventh year that FSUPD has participated in the Pink Patch Project, a campaign started to raise awareness and donations for breast cancer research. “Participants include several hundred partner agencies throughout the world and includes partners from police, sheriff, fire, EMS, and federal departments worldwide,” according to the Pink Patch Project website. For the first time, FSUPD is selling patches exclusively online through the Susan G. Komen website. “Folks can just go straight to it with a QR code or just click on the link, and you can actually make donations right on their website. … All donations go straight to them, which is the best part about this charity,” Singh said. In previous years, patches were sold at the University Bookstore as well as through the alumni office. Singh said this change has been beneficial and he has been able to “keep track of what’s going on. I can control it much better, and I can advertise on my own because I run the social media for FSUPD.” He added, “It gives me a platform to advertise to our community and now also outside of our communities.” According to Singh, this year, he has seen donations from patch collectors from across the United States. To support these donations, FSUPD has added a mailing option for the patches. Donors can submit a receipt of their donation to FSUPD and a patch will be mailed to their address, according to Singh. This option has led to an increase in donations. “Nine days into it, the number is huge,” Singh said. In addition to collecting donations online, members of the FSUPD hosted tabling events including “Coffee with a Cop,” at which members of the FSU community could purchase a patch and learn more about breast cancer awareness, according to Singh. Singh said the response from the University has been “very positive” and in a single day, FSUPD was able to raise $80. “They wanted to purchase the patch because it was going to a good cause. But a lot of the stories were, ‘Hey, you know what? My mother went through this,’ and they wanted to come and donate,” Singh said. Singh said that he takes “great pride in anything that I do here when it comes to community outreach. It doesn’t have to be the Pink Patch Project. I'm also involved in other charity work like the Special Olympics.” He added, “I’m a big believer in giving back to the community. This is what motivates me to come up with these events every year. It’s because I want to give back.” Erina Operach, a freshman, is “very excited about it. I’m planning on buying at least ten pins.” “My mother passed away from breast cancer when I was four, so it’s a very big deal to me,” Operach said. Paige Rainville, a sophomore, said, “The Pink Patch Project is amazing.” She added, “I just wish that someday, we could start fundraising for other types of cancer like childhood cancer. … I really hope to see something like that soon.” Ezra Mason, a freshman, said they were not aware that FSUPD was participating in the Pink Patch Project and should “probably be checking the social medias. ”I think that’s really cool they’re supporting people in need,” Mason said. Kathryn Hansson, a graduate student, said the Pink Patch Project “sounds amazing so I think it’s surprising that I haven’t heard of it because now I’ve been here for five years. I am so happy to hear it.” Those interested in donating to the Pink Patch Project can visit www.info-komen.org/goto/fsupolice