Supporters are called “Mo Bros” and “Mo Sistas.” Every November the Movember Foundation renames our eleventh month to have some fun and raise some serious cash to help men live happier, healthier, longer lives.
What started as two friends having a beer in a pub in Australia and lamenting the decline of the mustache grew into an idea to convince 30 men to grow mustaches for the month of November in 2003. Receiving inspiration from a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery made the campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer. To raise money, they charged their friends $10 each to participate.
They established five simple rules for participation:
1. Once registered at movember.com, you must begin the month of November with a clean shaven face.
2. For the entire month of Movember you must grow and groom your mustache.
3. No beards, goatees or fake mustaches allowed.
4. Use the power of the mustache to create conversation and raise funds for men’s health.
5. Conduct yourself like a true gentleman.
In 16 years, Movember has become the leading charity changing the face of men’s health. To date, campaigns in 21 countries have raised over $911 million. The Movember Foundation focuses on four major health issues faced by men that often go undiscussed and underfunded:
Prostate cancer
Testicular cancer
Mental health
Suicide prevention
According to the founders of Movember, “Our fathers, partners, brothers and friends face a health crisis that isn’t being talked about. Men are dying too young. We can’t afford to stay silent.”
Their present goal is to reduce the number of men around the world who are dying prematurely by 25% by 2030.
The Movember Foundation has established five basic rules to improve men’s health:
Make man time - Stay connected. Your friends are important and spending time with them is good for you. Catch up regularly, check in and make time.
Have open conversations-70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends. In other words: we’re here for our friends, but worried about asking for help for ourselves. Reaching out is crucial.
Know the numbers - At 50, talk to your doctor about prostate cancer and whether it’s right for you to have a PSA test. If you are African American or have a father or brother with prostate cancer, you should be having this conversation at 45. Know your numbers; know your risk; talk to your doctor.
Know your body – all of it -Get to know what’s normal for your testicles. Give them a check regularly and go to the doctor if something doesn’t feel right.
Get moving and whatever you are doing now – move more – it’s simple become active, stay active, get more active – exercise is good for you
Information for this article was taken from:
https://www.nhlpa.com/be-a-player/in-the-community/movember