‘Mo’ money, no problem
Movember campaign ends with mustache competition raising over $1,500Mustaches of all kinds, from the Tom Selleck to the handlebar, mingled with the clean-shaven from around the Grand Forks area Thursday night to celebrate the end of Movember.
By: Amy Martz, Special to the Grand Forks Herald
- Showcasing the mustaches
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Mustaches of all kinds, from the Tom Selleck to the handlebar, mingled with the clean-shaven from around the Grand Forks area Thursday night to celebrate the end of Movember.
They’re ending a month of fundraising with a big fundraiser and party at the Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks. More than 100 attended the event hosted by Team Grand Morks, the founders of the area’s Movember movement.
Movember, a word combining the month with “mo,” a slang term for mustache, is a campaign started in Australia that seeks to raise awareness and money for men’s health issues, with a focus on prostate and testicular cancer. Participating men grow mustaches for the entire month and collect donations for the cause.
The Grand Forks event included a silent auction and mustache competition that raised $1,500, which will go to The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong, a group affiliated with cyclist Lance Armstrong that helps cancer survivors.
Big mustaches
Team Morks was not the only Movember team represented at the event. Taylor Butterfield was there representing Team Sullenberger. Members of the team, all employees at UND aerospace, named the team after Chesley Sullenberger, the airline pilot who landed an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River in January 2009.
Team members attempted to grow his signature mustache, described as a “push
broom.”
Taylor said he felt his mustache did not quite measure up. “I feel like I fell a little short in the hair count.”
Brenda Jo Gillund is a veteran of not only past Movember campaigns but also Relay for Life, another group that raises money for cancer research. The cause is close to her heart. Her husband’s uncle passed away from prostate cancer a few years ago and his father has also been diagnosed with the disease. Men tend to keep this issue close to their heart, she said, but the Movember campaign puts a face on it — literally.
Though some men tend to look a little silly with mustaches she thinks her husbands’ facial hair is very handsome.
“I love it when he has it long enough to have handlebars!” she said. Unfortunately, a month isn’t long enough for him to achieve the handlebars, she said.
The event was a celebration of the generosity of those who were involved and those who donated. The North River Ramblers were the headlining musical act and local comedian Spencer Dobson was the master of ceremonies. Local businesses and restaurants donated the items for the silent auction and the food.
From the mustache competition George Andersen won the Tom Selleck award for best mustache and Nick Swenson “won” Lame Mo for worst mustache. Louie Hodgson was named the Man of Movember and Melinda Lavine named Miss Movember, for their work in the movement.
Though a little young at 11, Hunter Stauss, who came to watch some of the bands, did his best to join in on the fun by taping a large, brown, cutout mustache to his lip and declaring, “I like big mustaches!”
Louie Hodgson, co-leader of Team Morks, was very happy with the turnout.
“It’s great to see people coming out for this,” he said, “People can see we are legit and it’s for a really good cause. “
Martz is a UND student. Reach her at amy.martz@und.edu.
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