Deputies from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office will be wearing pink patches on their uniforms in support of breast cancer awareness month this October. The effort is part of the Pink Patch Project, a collaborative program with hundreds of public safety agencies around the country designed to increase public awareness about breast cancer and to raise funds for fighting the disease.

The patches — pink variations of the sheriff’s office’s standard patches — are meant to stimulate conversation with the community about important issues such as early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Each agency participating in the Pink Patch Project manages their participation locally in a way best meant to fit their community.

“Breast cancer has personally affected my own family,” said Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons. “According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women (aside from skin cancer), and the second most common cause for cancer death in women. Therefore, it is so important to raise public awareness about the importance of early detection and treatment in the fight against breast cancer. That is why I am honoring the women in my family and my community by participating in the Pink Patch Project and proudly displaying the pink patch on our uniforms throughout October.”

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office pink patches will be available to the public for a suggested donation of $15. Donations will go toward supporting local care and patients’ needs through the Breast Cancer Fund at St. Anthony Summit Medical Center. Those interested in getting a patch can stop by the sheriff’s office in Breckenridge, or mail a check or money order payable to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office to Erin Opsahl at P.O. Box 210, Breckenridge, CO 80424.