Police give in to clich & eacute; to raise money for D.A.R.E.

Police give in to clich & eacute; to raise money for D.A.R.E.
By SARAH WEBER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Officer Shawn Hevener of the Austintown Police Department prefers bagels, but that didn't stop him from chomping down nine glazed doughnuts at Austintown Middle School on Saturday morning.
After all, the doughnut binge was for a good cause.
Hevener and nine other officers representing Austintown and Springfield Township police departments, Mahoning County Sheriff's Office, and the 838 Military Police Company participated in a doughnut-eating contest to raise money for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.
"The whole concept behind this is the old clich & eacute; that officers eat doughnuts. We thought it would be fun," said Austintown officer Rob Whited, a co-organizer of the event, who ate 41/2 of the sugar-laden treats.
Relay for Life model
The event was modeled after Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, in which supporters pledge a certain amount of money for each mile or lap participants can run or walk. The family and friends of the officers pledged to give money to the D.A.R.E. program for each doughnut the officer ate in five minutes. Although most of the officers averaged four to six doughnuts , Hevener took the trophy at nine.
"It was pretty rough," Hevener said. "I just tried to get down as many as possible. I don't like being beat."
Whited estimated that the contest raised more than $500 for the D.A.R.E. program. Hevener said that his intake alone probably raised about $100.
"I won't be eating for the rest of the day," Hevener said.
Hoping to expand
This was the first year for the event, but Whited and his co-organizer, Austintown officer Jeff Toth, want to make it an annual affair. Whited said he hopes to add some heat to the competition by involving other area emergency departments.
"My goal is to get everyone involved and laugh and have a good time," Hevener said.
About six children from the local school district also faced off in a doughnut-eating contest. Kenny Balzic, a freshman at Fitch High School, took the crown after eating 81/2 in five minutes.
Twelve dozen doughnuts were donated for the fundraiser by Dunkin Donuts on Mahoning Avenue.