Novi police raise money to support struggling community members

NOVI — The Novi Police Department, through annual fundraisers, works to support those fighting cancer and to provide a Christmas for families in need.

This year, the department raised $12,000 for the Believe in Miracles Fund at the Assarian Cancer Center in Novi through the department’s annual pink car and Movember fundraisers.

Every October, the Novi Police Department has a squad car wrapped in hot pink to show support for those who have had or are undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Throughout the month, the department takes it to various events to offer the public a chance to write messages of support for those struggling with cancer in exchange for a donation of $5 or more.

Then in November, aka “Movember,” men who hold various positions throughout the public safety departments — including police officers, cadets and firefighters — grow beards and mustaches to show support for men who are affected by cancer.

Lt. Brian Woloski came up with the idea for a Novi Movember fundraiser in 2018, which ultimately led to the creation of the pink car fundraiser.  Woloski, a 23-year veteran of the Police Department, said that officers used to grow mustaches only during the month.

“I brought up the suggestion that, hey, why don’t we let everybody grow beards and we could donate the funds to a charity? And the chief agreed upon it, but he’s like, ‘Well, I’d like it to be a local charity,’” Woloski said.

He said they then started looking for a local charity to sponsor, and someone suggested the Believe in Miracles Fund. It was decided that starting that year that the Novi Police Department would sponsor the fund annually by donating $50 per officer for the right to grow a beard in November. He said that in the first year they were able to generate approximately $3,700, and it has continued to grow every year.

“It was the perfect fund to do that, because it deals with cancer, and we all know that No-Shave November is (about) men’s health, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, suicide awareness, depression,” Wolosk said. “It’s a 501(c)(3); there’s no overhead. They don’t take any money out. All the funds go straight into helping others.”

The Believe in Miracles Fund provides financial assistance to those struggling with cancer. The fund provides help with utilities, rent, transportation, food and medical supplies. Woloski recalled that the fund even purchased a mattress for a patient in need.

“It’s just really, really a wonderful thing. I couldn’t imagine going through the challenges of recovery with cancer and then not having the money to pay your bills, and I think that’s the special thing (about the Believe in Miracles Fund),” said Woloski.

“They’ll pay for an Uber ride. They’ll pay for their medication. They’ll pay an electric bill. They’ll put groceries on the table — wherever they’re feeling that financial impact or whatever needs to be done to help them be able to fight this horrible disease,” said police clerk Kim Kleimola, who chairs the pink car fundraiser. “I think that’s what keeps me going during that month, is just knowing how many people I’m helping.”

Then the following year officers started to talk about how to get the women involved with supporting this cause. They already had been doing a pale pink car every October, but it wasn’t used as a fundraiser. It was just driven around to show support.

“With breast cancer awareness being in October, in 2019 is when they came up with the idea of, let’s take it to a couple of places and let people write on the car for a donation. I think that first year they just went to two places. They went to Twelve Oaks (mall), and they went to the hospital,” Kleimola said.

Kleimola is a breast cancer survivor. She said she battled cancer from March of 2020 and got her all-clear this past spring. She said she underwent a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. She said she understands personally what women fighting breast cancer are going through physically, emotionally and financially. She said the out-of-pocket cost of the chemotherapy treatments was $2,000 a month.

“The catalyst that I wanted to get involved with is because I am a patient at the Assarian Cancer Center. I did 15 months of chemo,” Kleimola said. “I would go in there and I would see elderly women and single moms, and I knew how expensive it was for me, and I’m like, ‘How do they pull that money out of their budget to pay for their treatment and still manage to put food on the table?’”

Kleimola said she decided to join the pink car fundraising team, as she felt she was well suited for the position because of her experience as a survivor. So in 2020, while still undergoing treatments, she started to help with the events, and then she helped out more in 2021 and took over organizing the event in 2022. Since she has taken it over, she said, the event has grown bigger and bigger every year, with this being the largest amount of money they have raised.

“It’s a community favorite. People are always asking, ‘Are you going to have the pink car out again?’” Kleimola said. “It’s such a healing event. Whenever you go to these events and you hear the stories … it’s really nice that they can see that there’s a whole community (behind them), that they are not alone.”

  The pink car alone raised $10,000 this year, and the additional $2,000 was brought in by the officers participating in No-Shave November. Officers presented a check to the Assarian Cancer Center Nov. 27.

In addition to the money the department donates, the wrap with the messages of support is put on display at the center to encourage those who are battling cancer.  This year, the hood of the squad car will be donated as well.

The events went so well this year that officers decided to carry on the spirit of Movember into the next month with “Double-Down December.” Officers made an additional donation of $50 apiece to keep their beards throughout December. The funds went to support their annual adopt-a-family program, which provides a Christmas to Novi families in need. Police Department staff also contributed to the cause with a $20 per-person donation to be able to wear jeans throughout the month of December.

The families are discovered by officers when they see a family in need while out on patrol. Woloski said that although there are a lot of multimillion-dollar homes in the city, there are also a lot of people who are in need of assistance within the city limits.

“We see a lot of people who are in desperate need of anything. That’s the sad part. You could go to one call where you are going to a million-dollar mansion. The next call you are going to a home where the floors are rotting out and you can see the ground. So yeah, there are families in Novi that are in need,” said Woloski.

The department then provides the families that they adopt with not only Christmas gifts, but food and everyday household necessities, such as toilet paper and laundry detergent.

“We give them gift cards and help them wherever they need help so that they can have a great holiday,” Kleimola said.

“Just knowing the good that it’s doing, that’s what’s important,” Woloski said, and Kleimola agreed.