Update: See my movember pics as this thing takes hold of my face!

credit: c-reel.com

 
This year I got recruited (a couple days late) into a Movember team. I’m very excited, and just a little apprehensive about the whole deal! What is Movember? I hear you ask. Check it:

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is an annual charity event held during November.

At the start of Movember guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants, known as Mo Bros, have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their Mo, raising money along the way to benefit men’s health.

All money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men’s health issues and donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative. The PCFA and beyondblue will use the funds to fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and depression.

Since its inception as a formal charity in 2004 Movember has raised over $30 million globally, significantly increased awareness of prostate cancer and depression in the community, and is continuously working to change the attitude men have about their health.

I’m Growin a Mo!

I’m pushing myself to be a part of this because I really don’t like mo’s! But I’m completely supportive of the groups that it supports, and I’m keen to help raise awareness about men’s health issues.

Check it out!

I’ll be growing my mo for 30 days, here’s a pic of me at the start of this gig, I’ll post a couple others down the track to show my progress.

I’d love if you could jump on the bandwagon and show a bit of support, even if it’s only to send me an email or comment some word of encouragement, or advice from those of you who have mo’s. Maybe there are foods like pizza I should be keeping away from?!

For those of you who are really brave, I’d really appreciate if you would take a minute to throw $5 into the foundation to support these important issues, even more if you wish - donations over $2 are tax deductible, and the money goes straight to the foundation (I don’t see any of it in case that matters to some people!) I’m going to kick it off with a $20 donation. (For USA viewers, please note: donations are in Australian dollars, so with current exchange rate $5 Australian is only $3.33 USD!! I really hope a few people at least throw a few dollars in!)

The link to my secure site team donation page can be found here or by clicking the button on the right - payments can be made by credit card or paypal, and you’ll automatically get a tax receipt.

** Donations can be made up until 30th November 2008

If you want to find out more about this cause or see some photos from last year you can check it out here. If you’d like to know what the funds are used for you can check out this link.

credit: matteo_dudek

Did you know that :

• Depression affects 1 in 6 men….most don’t seek help. Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide.
• Last year in Australia 18,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2,900 died of prostate cancer - equivalent to the number of women who will die from breast cancer annually.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the details at Fundraising Outcomes .

Once again, here is my donation support link - if you feel compelled, consider supporting this worthy cause.

Update: View my pics as the hair takes over!

Thanks!
- Ross