Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse student groups and local businesses are running fundraisers for ‘Movember’. The men’s health movement takes place in the month of November, and men are encouraged to grow mustaches to raise awareness and funds.
Sam Low is the philanthropy chair for the Syracuse University Men’s Rugby team, which has done the fundraiser the last two years. For Low, raising money is personal, as his father had testicular cancer a few years ago.
“Everyone knows someone who has been in trouble, so it’s nice to be able to raise money for men’s health in particular as a men’s rugby club,” Low said. “Last year we raised 600 dollars, we’re trying to get into 4 digits this year.”
In downtown Syracuse, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is also doing a fundraiser. They are running a drink special with 1911 called the ‘furry lip’, and also selling hats to raise money. Director of Operations Kevin Speciale is running the fundraiser in honor of his dad Bucky who passed away in 2000 from prostate cancer.
“This year we decided to tie [the fundraider] to hats,” Speciale said. “On the front we have our dinosaur in a mustache, on the back it says Movember Foundation, and on the side we put a little nod to my pops and put Bucky.”
The hats are 25 dollars, and every cent of the purchase is donated to the Movember Foundation.
Movember gained popularity due to the mustache, and that’s part of the fun for Low.
“Last year I showed up to Thanksgiving with an awful little attempt at a mustache,” Low said. “I was getting a lot of weird looks and comments, but it’s for a good cause, so we’ll make fools of ourselves just for one month to raise some money.”
Speciale says that sporting the ‘stache helps to start conversations about men’s health.
“This is not my wife’s favorite time of year,” Speciale said. “I get a good one going, some years it’s a Fu Manchu, you’re supposed to look goofy so your friends and people you see ask you ‘what is up with the 70s/80s stache?’, and that raises awareness.”
Both the rugby team and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que fundraisers are live on Movember.com.
