By ADRIANA ALFARO
For three years, the Sea Isle Police Department has raised breast cancer awareness by wearing pink badges during October.
This year, the department will continue the annual practice to promote awareness, raise funds, and remind others that they are not alone.
The tradition began in 2020 when Officer Kirk Rohrer addressed former Sea Isle Police Chief Tom McQuillen about having the officers wear symbolic pink badges in honor of his mother, Antoinette, who passed away in 2017 due to breast cancer.
Antoinette served as the president of both the Cape May County and South Jersey Court Administrators Associations of New Jersey.
With the pink badges, Rohrer is proud to honor his mother and lift others affected by the disease.
"I'm not the only one affected by breast cancer. I feel great to continue promoting awareness," said Rohrer.
Rohrer followed in his father's footsteps and became an officer in 2017. His father, also named Kirk, rose to the rank of lieutenant until retiring in 2012.
Police Chief Anthony Garreffi is very close to the Rohrer family and is proud to continue Antoinette's legacy.
"Kirk is my best friend, and Antoinette was like my sister. I’ve known them for a long time now and I'm proud to continue bringing awareness," said Garreffi.
Officer Kirk Rohrer holds the pink colored police badge he will wear during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Garreffi began as a seasonal officer with the Sea Isle City Police Department in 1998 and 1999. He returned to Sea Isle as a full-time officer in 2001 and was promoted from patrolman to sergeant, then lieutenant, and finally captain in 2014.
The department participates in "No Shave November" and donates funds to local families, the St. Jude's Research Hospital, and other organizations of their choice.
According to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, an estimated 287,500 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. in 2022.
Although rare, men get breast cancer too. In 2022, an estimated 2,710 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S.
Additionally, Sea Isle City will host a Casting for Recovery event on Oct. 15. An outdoor retreat for women with breast cancer provided at no cost to participants.
These retreats provide opportunities for women to find inspiration, refresh their vitality for life, and create therapeutic relationships with others and the environment.
