One central person was missing — but definitely not forgotten — when the Santa Barbara Police Department raised over $2,000 last week during its second annual Mustache Movember Contest at Union Ale Brewing Company.
Sergeant Mike McGrew’s son Michael, or T.T., who died of cancer over a year ago, was the inspiration for the mustache contest. In honor of Michael and the work of the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, Officer Blake Burgard proposed the mustache contest as a beneficiary fundraiser for the foundation in 2010.
“[The SBPD’s Patrol Team 3] wanted to help the Teddy Bear Foundation because they saw what we went through,” said Sergeant McGrew. “We were in the hospital over 200 days a year.”