Ridgefield Park police surprise Boy Scout troop left for broke

Here’s a nice story from Bergen County. A local Boy Scout troop that was left penniless by an unscrupulous leader got a boost from the police.

According to the Daily Voice, Boy Scout Troop 3 had the funds in their treasury drained, police say, by Christopher Infantino.

In all, $11,000 was embezzled by the former troop leader. That’s when Ridgefield Park Police Chief Joseph Rella stepped in.

Rella allowed the members of PBA Local 86 to pay to be exempt from department grooming guidelines, extending their “No Shave November” through February. They had already raised money for the Special Olympics and the Barstool Small Business Fund and the extension allowed them to raise additional funds for the Boy Scouts.

When the hirsute campaign was over, the police force had raised an additional $4,000 for the Scouts.

No Shave November is an annual fundraising effort in which people forego their razors and donate their monthly grooming expenses to charity; businesses participate by allowing employees to ignore the usual appearance standards by voluntarily contributing to a charity.

The movement originally started as a way to bring attention to men’s health, specifically cancer risks. It has spread from there to encompass all manner of charities. The original organization is called Movember (a portmanteau of “mustache” and “November.”) The Movember movement by itself has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charity since 2004.

The Ridgefield Park story is a nice reminder of the importance to the community local police hold, and the good they do, usually unnoticed.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.