Columbus Police Department raised $22,200 for the family of an officer whose daughter is fighting for her life at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Part-time CPD officer Kenny Brewer’s 10-month-old daughter Kensley was diagnosed with high-risk anaplastic astrocytoma brain cancer in January. Last month, CPD officers held a raffle to raise money for the Brewer family’s travels from Columbus to Memphis. People from all over Columbus and law enforcement officers from other parts of the country contributed $10 per-ticket for the chance to win a AR-15 rifle, a char-broil four-burner gas grill or a diamond ring.
The goal was to raise $20,000, said Community Police Officer Rhonda Sanders said.
“We raised it all in three weeks,” she said.
The raffle ended when Fayette, Alabama, resident Joe E. Snider won the ring and Columbus residents Tim Kembrell and Dennis Smith won the rifle and the grill, respectively.
Sanders credited Columbus officers and residents reaching out to friends and family out of town about the raffle for the fundraiser’s success
“The whole community just came together,” she said.
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