The Cinnaminson police and fire departments are gearing up for Battle of the Badges, a wing eating contest and fundraiser in support of a local family’s battle with brain cancer.
By Stephen Finn
The Sun
On March 23, Cinnaminson’s police and fire departments will descend on Whistler’s Inn to face off in a Battle of the Badges. During a multi-round wing eating contest, the competing departments will wage war for gastro-superiority.
Behind the whimsical contest is a much more serious cause. The primary goal is to raise funds for residents Dan and Cindy Harris, whose daughter Maddie is undergoing treatment for brain cancer.
Since her daughter’s diagnosis, Cindy says her family’s lives haven’t been the same. They have had to adjust to frequent doctor visits and tough decisions.
“We’re at the doctor’s a lot, we never know when we’re going to end up at the hospital,” said Cindy.
After a 10-week round of chemotherapy in November, Maddie ended up with radiation poisoning and was hospitalized for an additional week. She is headed for six weeks of maintenance chemo, after which doctors will determine their next course of action.
According to her mother, Maddie has her ups and downs but remains positive. Her greatest wish is to “just be normal.”
When they heard about the plans for the Battle of the Badges fundraiser, the Harris family was in awe at the show of support.
“I felt like, ‘what did we do to deserve this?’ It’s so wonderful we really, really appreciate it,” said Cindy.
Cinnaminson Police Officer Mike Czarzasty played a key role in pulling the event together. He says the idea was to get as many people involved as possible to drum up support for the family.
“We were just spitballing ideas, and we started talking about a wing eating contest to bring more people in. Both us and the fire department have a lot of connections to the township so we knew that would draw people,” said Czarzasty.
He knew the Harris family from his years as a school resource officer for the Cinnaminson district.
“Any parent or anybody that has to experience something like that needs as much assistance as they can possibly get. The idea is to let them know that we care, and we’re trying to help her get through this as best we can,” said Czarzasty.
Firefighters may carry a reputation as big eaters, but Czarzasty feels pretty good about his department’s chances. According to him, they have some aces up their sleeve with some of their younger officers.
“I have some young guys that can eat a lot, but they don’t look like it. You turn around and food is gone in about two seconds, so I’ve got some wild cards I’m bringing to the table,” said Czarzasty.
Cinnaminson Fire Chief William Kramer welcomes the challenge and is looking forward to the departments coming together to do some good in their community.
“It’s really nice to see police and fire working as closely as we do together for the community,” said Kramer. “It’s all about what we can do to help this little girl and her family. We’re looking forward to a day of fun for us, understanding that no day is fun for them with what they’re dealing with.”
The Battle of the Badges will run from 5 to 9 p.m. at Whistler’s Inn in Cinnaminson.
During the contest, a portion of all food and drink purchases will be donated to the Harris family. Several items will be up for auction. There is no entry fee, and the fundraiser is open to all who would like to witness a fun, friendly competition and support a great cause.
