INDIAN SHORES — Police Chief Rick Swann started the “No-Shave November” fundraiser and Vacation Toy Drive again in 2019 throughout his first 12 months as chief. Again then the Indian Shores Police Division raised $1,500 and picked up a decent quantity of toys and kids’s clothes in assist of two native charities: Santa’s Angels and Garments To Children.

That was a drop within the bucket in comparison with what the fundraiser has blossomed into at the moment.

Yearly the fundraiser has garnered extra kids’s toys and provides, and extra financial donations in assist of extra native charities. In 2020, the division’s vacation fundraiser collected $5,196 and added Youngsters’s Dream Fund to the native charities they assist. In 2021, ISPD added two extra charities: Suncoast Voices for Youngsters and Prepared for Life, and picked up a complete of $6,612.

Now, in 2022, $10,069 had been collected by Dec. 6, and three truckloads of kids’s toys and clothes are headed for the now six charities that profit from the vacation fundraiser. This 12 months, Joshua Home, a Tampa Bay orphanage, was added to the checklist. And the division is just not carried out.

ISPD is constant to gather donations by means of Dec. 16. Donated objects should be new, and are being accepted on the division and at Redington Shores City Corridor throughout common enterprise hours. Nonetheless in want are mobiles (for child cribs), flooring mats for infants to crawl on, image books, instructional child toys, truck-related toys for boys 18-24 months, airplanes and dinosaur toys for 2-3-year-old boys, and any and all kids’s garments.

“We’re on monitor to having this (as) our most profitable charity fundraiser but,” mentioned the chief.

Swann provides a lot of the credit score to Lori Kaess, the chief’s government assistant/workplace administrator and Nadine Esposito, the division administrative assistant. “These girls make all of it occur,” mentioned Swann.

This was the fourth 12 months of No-Shave November, which started with officers attending to go with out shaving for the month of November by chipping in $25 every to the fundraiser pool, and taking part in a “Greatest Beard” contest with the winner getting a free skilled shave from Stefanec’s Barber Store in Belleair Bluffs. This 12 months staff from Indian Shores Public Works received in on the motion along with the cops.

There are two classes for the “Greatest Beard” contest: Younger Guys and Grey Beards. Within the Younger Guys class had been Officer Kevyn Andrews, Officer Jack Griggs, Steve Hale from Public Works, and Officer Justin Guillory.

The Grey Beards had been Willis Knight of Public Works, Tommy Boullianne of Public Works, Lt. Jeff Phillips, Chief Swann, and Maj. Glen Smith. Each winners had been from Public Works — Hale gained within the Younger Guys class and Knight gained from the Grey Beards.

Judging the competition this 12 months had been Redington Shores Mayor MaryBeth Henderson, Redington Shores Vice Mayor Cinda Krouk, Irena Nolasco of Stefanec’s Barber Store, Brian Ruso of the Indian Shores Constructing Division, Indian Shores Property House owners Affiliation President Denise Vought, and Indian Shores Vice Mayor Diantha Schear. 

Every year the cities of Indian Shores and Redington Shores kick in a donation to the kitty. There may be at all times a problem between the cities. This 12 months Indian Shores donated $2,000. To not be outdone, Redington Shores donated $2,001.

Native eating places that chipped in included The Canine and Parrot Seashore Pub, DJ’s Clam Shack, Pleasant Tavern, Coco Wooden Grill, Broke and Bored Grill, Nachman’s Seafood Market & Smokehouse, and Kenny’s Korner. Native condos received within the act as nicely, together with Anchorage Condos, The Membership Redington, Port Royale, and ISPOA. Kooky Coconuts of Indian Rocks Seashore offered discounted sandwiches on the luncheon that adopted the Greatest Beard judging on Dec. 6. 

Santa’s Angels got here by the day earlier than the beard-judging and luncheon to remove one truckload of the donated toys. In accordance with the chief, two extra truckloads are ready, and there could also be extra but to come back in donations.

“The group actually got here collectively on this,” mentioned Swann.