The Hopewell Township Police Department presented Lori Morris, executive director of LifeTies, Inc., with a check for $3,500.
The donation on Aug. 19 was the result of a fundraising drive that took place during Pride Month in June, run by Detective Alexis Mirra, to support Triad House, a program of LifeTies.
Triad House is an LGBTQ+ friendly residential home in Ewing for teens and young adults.
Mirra had the idea to create a rainbow-themed patch that the officers in the township could voluntarily wear to show their support for Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community, the first department to do so in New Jersey, according to the Hopewell Township Communications and Outreach Office.
Mirra then decided to sell Pride Patches to the greater community as a fundraiser. Working with members of Hope Rises Up in Hopewell, a patch, sticker, and postcard were fashioned to amplify the message, with proceeds to go to LifeTies in support of Triad House.
The 300 patches and stickers that Mirra ordered quickly sold out, resulting in the $3,500 donation, according to the statement.
Hopewell Township Police Director Robert Karmazin and Mirra are pleased with the success of both the fundraiser and the Pride Month recognition, according to the statement.
Mirra said she is already thinking about how the success could be built upon for Pride Month in 2022.
“As a police department dedicated to all in our community, it is especially important to support organizations like the Triad House which promotes a safe and inclusive environment for youth which emphasizes the importance of diversity. We could have not thought of a better organization to donate the proceeds from our commemorative Hopewell Police Department pride patch,” Karmazin said in the statement.