It’s almost November—or is it “Movember” now? It’s both. In just a few short week, we’ll hit the first of November, which is the official annual launch date of Movember, a charity dedicated to raising awareness of men’s health issues such as prostrate and testicular cancer.
During Movember, thousands of men around the world don freshly grown moustaches in support of such initiatives. Clean-shaven on November 1st, for one month these men grow their moustaches—only trimming and waxing allowed. By doing so, they are taking a direct approach to advertising for the cause. They are responsible for passing on their knowledge, raising awareness, and urging the conversation—and donations—about the issue to continue.
Men sign up to participate at www.movember.com. These men become known as Mo Bros; women help out through support, encouragement, and participation in the initiative are called Mo Sistas (though, unfortunately, they can’t grow their own moustaches).
As an international initiative, people from all over the world are encouraged to sign up and participate. At the moment, Canada, the UK, Australia, and the United States lead in the number of participants registered and amount of money raised (over $200,000 each). The Movember website also keeps track of individual and team funds raised and has a leaderboard posted for each.
At the end of Movember, participants and Movember host parties to celebrate their successes. All funds raised throughout the month are donated to Movember, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and LIVESTRONG Foundation. Last year, a total of $126.3 million was raised by 854,000 participants worldwide.