4th Annual RoofTop Cops Raises over $22,000 for Two Local Children

For Immediate Release
November 5th,2024

4th Annual RoofTop Cops Raises over $22,000 for Two Local Children

On Tuesday, September 24th, 2024, Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement Officers climbed on the roof of Bojangles in Jefferson to raise money for two local children in the county battling cancer and an autoimmune disease.

September is the designated Childhood Cancer Awareness month. This will be our fourth year helping raise money for local children. Sheriff Howell started RoofTop Cops to bring our community together and help families with some of their financial burdens. Since the beginning, we have raised over $47,000, including this year! It’s been a tremendous blessing to be able to help these families and see the smiles on the children’s faces as we get to know them.

This year, we were able to help two children in the community. Aaron Ruiz is a 12-year-old boy from Ashe County, NC. He was diagnosed with Germinoma, which is a type of germ cell tumor
commonly found in the brain. He has recently completed radiation and chemotherapy at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital. He loves his brother and playing with his dog, Max. Aaron has such a sweet personality and always has a big smile.

Westly Adams is a 5-year-old boy from Ashe County, NC. He was diagnosed on July 27, 2024, with ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura), a rare autoimmune disorder that causes individuals to have low platelet levels. Platelets are cell fragments found in the blood and normally help the blood clot. In people with ITP, the body produces antibodies that attack and destroy the platelets. He is still undergoing treatment, and Doctors are hopeful that the IPT will correct itself within a year. Westly is a fun-loving little boy who loves soccer and camping.

This year, we held the fundraiser on the roof of Bojangles in Jefferson, and boy, it did not disappoint! We had a blast getting to know all the Bojangles crew and spending the day with them. Bojangles went above and beyond by donating 100% of their sales that day to the event!!! We had just a couple of pop-up rain showers but were able to stay on the roof all day. We had live music from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with Glen Sullivan, Tim Lewis, and guests.

We are proud to say that this year, we were able to raise $22,411.71 to be split between the two families!!!!! We were all in shock when that final
total came; we are so blessed to live in a community that cares for others.

We want to say THANK YOU for all the support and money that was given. Also, Thank You to all the Law Enforcement Officers who came by and stood on the roof. Thank You to Badges of Ashe members Michele Greene and Christie Pruitt, who helped with organizing and collecting funds.

We could no do the event without the help of ALL of you. Bojangles made this event possible by providing us with the rooftop and allowing us to set up donation boxes inside all month long. Thank you to the Bojangles staff for all your support and hard work; you guys ROCK!!!!

We know each family is grateful for your support and thankful they live in the Ashe community.