It's November, which means the temperature is dropping, snow is flying and spectacular moustaches will soon cover the upper lips of men everywhere.
The newsroom here at the Nouvelle has decided to participate in the craze that has come to be known as “Movember” and grow (or attempt to grow) moustaches to raise awareness for men's health.
This past Friday, November 1, I created an official “Bonnyville Nouvelle” team page on the www.movember.com website, which includes editor Brandon MacLeod, fellow reporter Mike Pickford and myself.
Together we will throw away our razors for the month and let the hair on our upper lips grow into what we hope will be three masterful moustaches.
Minutes after the page was created the internal competition began, and shots were fired.
Although we are sure to have fun with it, we must realize why men everywhere are growing moustaches and supporting this initiative. The movember website sums it up the best: “through the power of the moustache, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.”
Movember, which started in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, has grown to include more than three million people across 21 countries. All these people have joined together to raise awareness for men's health.
In 2012, over 1.1 million people around the world joined in the cause and raised $146.6 million. The Canadian campaign saw $42.6 million raised; with over 87 per cent of funds donated to men's health programs. (The rest covered fundraising and administration costs).
It's amazing how the simple task of growing a moustache has brought men's health to the forefront.
Personally, I've seen way more awareness for prostate cancer, in advertisements telling me to go get checked. The same goes for mental health, with more and more people becoming aware of the symptoms and taking the time to see a doctor.
If growing a moustache and donating some money will help raise awareness for issues that effect thousands of men around the world, then I'll gladly join in and help the cause.
I kindly ask that you join in and help us spread the word and if you feel like it visit our page online at http://ca.movember.com/team/1357525 and donate to the cause. Every dollar helps and will go towards making a positive change.
