In 2011, more than 240,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer—This month, the world is taking notice thanks to the moustache statement.
During the month of November, you will notice a whole lot more hair. Thousands of men worldwide will be sprouting signature staches to raise both funds and awareness for men’s health—More specifically, cancers affecting men.
It’s called Movember and it’s now in its fifth year. The annual, world-wide charity movement is asking men around the globe to sport a stache for the sake of men’s health.
Men all over can register on www.movember.com, alone, by starting a team or joining a team. Once registered, men start Movember 1 clean shaven and for the rest of the month, can’t groom, trim and wax.
During the month men are also asked to set a fundraising goal and collect donations. The funds raised in the United States support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. They’re directed to programs run directly by Movember, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG.
“Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health,” reads the Movember website.
At the end of the month, “Mo Bros,” as they’re referred to, can celebrate at official end-of-Movember Gala Partés held in numerous cities across the nation including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York, among others.
Each year, the movement is growing more and more popular with over 60,000 participating in the United States alone last year, raising over $7 million.
“Last year, Movember became a truly global movement,” said Adam Garone, CEO and Co-Founder of Movember in a statement. “Through the power of the moustache, almost half a million Movember participants raised $174 M, making us the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer research in the world. This success was made possible by the individual efforts of each supporter, and we hope theyʼll join us this year, as there is still much work to do. With more than 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer expected this year, the need for new collaborative research is more urgent than ever.”
