By Joe Baker
No Shave November, known as “Movember” and “Noshember” to veteran participants, has become more than just a month-long event dedicated to letting facial hair grow unruly but an opportunity to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.
People have fun with this by growing crazy-looking mustaches such as the handle bar, where the hair is thick under the nose and thins out and curls on both sides, and beards that are long and grizzly.
Some participate in No Shave November without knowing the reason behind neglecting the razor.
“I’m looking for any excuse not to shave,” said James Walos, College of Southern Nevada student. “It’s pretty cool, but I don’t think other people know why they do it either.”
Others knowingly participate in the month.
“I started the last week in September and plan to finish strong,” said Clint Albright, CSN student and participant the last couple years. “My grandpa had prostate cancer about two years ago and is now a survivor. So after that hardship I figured I would participate in No Shave November in honor of what he went through.”
“There are a slew of social sites that spread the word of what ‘Movember’ actually is,” Albright said. “But most people just see it as a month where men don’t shave. There is a reason for the month: prostate awareness.”
Albright also donates to a charity called Movember Foundations, an organization that started with two pals in Melbourne, Australia. It went from 30 original “Mo Bros” in 2003 to over 1 million participants around the world in 2012 and raised $147 million, according to research publication Global Journal.
Though many participants raise funds for prostate cancer during the month, other charities for different causes benefit as well.
“One of my favorite parts of how we do Noshember, instead of other alternatives, is that we encourage people get their groups and fundraise for their favorite charity— whatever it may be,” said Nicolas Wynkoop, who promotes the month in social media.
“We get news of people donating to all kinds of different causes including: American Cancer Society, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, local non-profits and charities, Christian ministries and even art galleries,” Wynkoop said.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, prostate cancer is the most common cancer. Over 190,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the United States. That is why No Shave November is important to raise awareness.
For more information about No Shave November, which happens annually, see http://www.no-shavenovember.com/.
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 