Profs' moustaches raise more than $700 for prostate cancer research

While many men consider shaving something of a chore, Dave Andrews will be thoroughly enjoying it later this week.

After spending the entire month of “Movember” growing a moustache to help raise funds for prostate cancer research, the Human Kinetics professor will be cheerfully cutting off the cookie duster as soon as he possibly can.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “You have to maintain it.”

Along with Earth and Environmental Sciences associate professor Phil Graniero, Andrews helped form a team called The Faculty of Mo. Along with thousands of other men around the globe, they grew their moustaches during November and asked people to support their effort by making monetary pledges, which are donated to Prostate Cancer Canada. Between the two of them they raised more than $700.

“I didn’t realize how much of a connection it would make with others and I ended up raising a lot more money than I thought I would,” Dr. Andrews said.

Dr. Graniero said one of the more gratifying parts of participating in the promotional campaign is the awareness it raised for men’s health issues. The moustache, he said, was a conversation starter that got people talking about the importance of routine examinations with their doctors.

“I had one friend tell me he was going to go for a complete physical just because he hadn’t been for a while,” he said.

To date, Canada has raised the most money of all the countries participating in the event. Worldwide, Movember has raised more than $78.4 million, with about $29 million of that total coming from Canadians.

You can still donate to The Faculty of Mo here.