JACKSON – Police officers, by nature, help people in their communities every day. But Jackson Police Officer Mike Grochowski went over the top recently when he cut off eight inches of his hair and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which will use the hair to make wigs for patients suffering from cancer.
Officer Grochowski, who has been with the Jackson Police for 19 years and in law enforcement even longer, said he has been shaving his head every summer for the past 25 years, but this is the first year he decided to donate it. Since he’s still able to grow hair at the age of 46, he figured he’d raise awareness for it this year.
“From a young age, I always loved to help people – that’s why I became a cop,” he said.
With him at the Supercuts in the Bennetts Mills Plaza were his two daughters, Bella and Chloe, who he hopes to set a good example for and teach to help others. Bella will also be in the salon chair soon, as she wants to donate her hair, too. She needs to wait another two months so she has a solid eight inches to cut off and donate.
But it certainly doesn’t stop at hair cutting for Officer Grochowski. He is extremely active through fundraisers and charity events with the Jackson PBA #168, such as hosting yearly coat drives and installing wheelchair ramps. The ongoing heroin problem also strikes a chord, and after hearing about individuals who are suffering, he goes to their houses and tries to talk to them and offer resources that might help, in hopes that they might turn their lives around. He said it’s a problem that touches not just the addict, but the whole family.
“Teach others to do for others,” is his motto, and a very good one at that.