During the month of November each year, an ever-growing fund-raising effort known as “Movember” is responsible for the sprouting of mustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the U.S. and around the world.
For the second year in a row, Kirkland Firefighters have joined this campaign. With their Mo’s (short for mustache), these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.
Once registered at movember.com, men start Nov. 1 clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as “Mo Bros,” groom, trim, and wax their way into the chronicles of fine mustachery. With the support of the fire department, the community, their friends, family, and the women in their lives (also known as “Mo Sistas”), Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.
Kirkland firefighters will 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.
Funds raised here in the U.S. support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. The funds are directed to programs run directly by Movember and its men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG foundation. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship, and research. Please visit the 2012 Kirkland Firefighter’s Movember Network fundraising page at http://us.movember.com/team/435317 and consider donating to this worthy cause.
Close to Home
The purpose of the Kirkland firefighter’s joining the Movember campaign is a real one. While they support many other causes and fundraisers throughout the year, of which the most visible is MDA, this cause strikes close to home.
There are increased risks of cancer associated with the profession of firefighting. According to a report published by the University of Cincinnati, researchers discovered that firefighters are 100 percent more likely to develop testicular cancer, 50 percent more likely to develop multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and 28 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than the general population.
Movember – A global movement
Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Ireland.
In 2011, over 854,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas from around the world got on board, raising $126.3 million USD.
Big steps have been taken towards changing attitudes and habits relating to men’s health around the world, but there is still much to be done to catch up with the women’s health movement. By way of the moustache, Movember aims to fulfill its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health issues each year.
No matter the country or city, Movember will continue to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, and to act on that knowledge, thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.
