A cop who cared and made a difference

In June 1994, Sergeant Gary Goulet of the Edmonton Police Service met Lyle Jorgenson, a five-year-old boy who had cancer. Goulet requested the meeting after learning that Lyle was being teased at school because of his hair loss from chemotherapy. Goulet was so moved by Lyle’s story that he decided to do something. That was the beginning of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Cops for Cancer campaign.

Since his head was already shaved, Goulet gathered a group of Edmonton officers who were willing to shave their own heads and joined Lyle at school to show kids that being bald was cool. Goulet's activities received plenty of media coverage, along with calls and letters from citizens touched by the officer's campaign.

One letter, however, moved Goulet to do more. It came from a woman whose daughter had lost her hair during cancer treatment. She urged Goulet to continue his campaign by challenging other police departments to get involved.

Goulet contacted the Canadian Cancer Society and the head-shaving event caught on. Since that time the campaign has grown to include fundraising though coin collections, golf tournaments, road races and head-shaving events and has been adopted by police forces across the country.

The story of the logo

Laura Phillips, a young cancer patient, admired her father Sergeant Mike Phillips’ efforts to fight cancer. Sergeant Phillips was one of the original Edmonton police officers who shaved his head and is an active member of the Edmonton Committee. While undergoing treatment, Laura designed the logo using her home computer. Now an adult, she continues her fight to overcome cancer.