‘Support the Mo’ next month

Welcome to Generation Moustache!  Movember Bermuda 2013 has arrived encouraging men to grow and women to support the Mo (slang for moustache) for 30 days of November. Through the power of the moustache awareness and funds are raised for local men’s health programmes to combat prostate cancer and other cancers and diseases affecting men.  Celebrating the fourth anniversary of changing the face of men’s health in Bermuda, Movember once again is calling on all men and women to register at Movember.bm to become an official participant for this year’s moustache season.

To celebrate Movember, registered men, known as Mo Bros, start November 1 clean-shaven and grow their moustache for 30 days while recruiting friends, family and colleagues to donate funds to their Mo-growing efforts.  Registered women, known as Mo Sistas, are just as important to the Movember campaign and get involved in the same way as Mo Bros, except they don’t have to grow a Mo. They register at Movember.bm, as an individual or start a team and recruit the men in their lives to participate, donate, fundraise, plan, participate in events, and encourage the men in their lives to be proactive with their health.

Event sponsor Elbow Beach will once again host this year’s festivities. The KickOff Party takes place on November 1 5:30pm-8:00pm where ordinary men transform in to Mo Bros.  If not already signed up, men and women can register in person at the event.  The Ladies from The Cutting Room will be on hand to give the Mo Bro’s upper lips a clean shave and the team from Bermuda Cancer an Health Centre will provide an update on newly launched services funded by Movember as well as this year’s rules and awards line-up.

The growing season will wrap up on November 30 with the Mo Finale which is an exhibition of nature’s finest bounty; the moustache. This event offers Mo Bros and Mo Sistas the opportunity to come together to showcase their hairy achievement and celebrate a month of hard work and dedication. It’s also Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre’s chance to say thank you to the Mo Community for their collective fundraising and awareness efforts.  Mo Bros and Mo Sistas are encouraged to dress up in their best Movember costumes and compete for a number of category awards:

• Ultimate Mo - A Mo Bro judged purely on the intricate grooming and styling of his Mo. A good outfit helps too!

• Lame Mo – An encouragement award given to our "Facial Folically Challenged" Brethren.

• Team Mo – The team to have the best moustache and outfit combination.

• “Before and After” Photo Contest – Judged solely from the photos taken at each event.

• Mo Bro & Mo Sista – The best dressed couple.

• Best Mo in Character – A Mo Bro dressed in character.

• Miss Movember – The Mo Sista judged to be the best dressed and full of Movember spirit.

• Man of Movember – The ultimate accolade, the man which best embodies Movember, Mo and all!

New this year are two additional challenges – the “Before & After” Photo contest giving each Mo Bro in attendance a chance to win Two-Night Stay at Elbow Beach for Two, just for having his picture taken at the KickOff Party and the Mo Finale! And the Financial Service Challenge for those Mo Teams who know how to rock a power moustache with a power suit.  The Financial Services Challenge is for any and all Mo Teams working at a bank, fund, insurance company, or accounting firm. Be sure to clear a space at your reception desk for all to see - the Mo Trophy will be awarded to the team who raises the most donations.  A full list of categories is available on movember.bm.

“Over the past 3 years in Bermuda, the moustache has emerged as a unifying symbol in the quest to improve men’s health,” said Deborah Titterton Narraway, Marketing and Fundraising Manager at Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre. "Movember Bermuda has raised over $300,000 to date and these funds have directly impacted the lives of hundreds of men in Bermuda, providing an annual health screening clinic and direct access to their physicians.

In Bermuda, programmes funded by the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, are focused on awareness, education and early detection of prostate cancer and other cancers and diseases affecting men:

Awareness & Education: Movember delivers a high impact awareness and education program for men’s health, powered by the growth of the moustache. Each moustache generates approx. 2,413 conversations during the month of Movember and 79% of Movember participants discussed their health with friends, family or colleagues.

Early Detection: Health initiative such as the Men’s Health Voucher - offers uninsured and underinsured men the opportunity to receive and annual health physical from their primary physician with no out of pocket expense; Men’s Health Screening Clinic an annual event sponsored by Movember and hosted by Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre where the Islands health agencies provide a range of free screenings giving the men an opportunity to see where they measure up on the scorecard of good health.

Swift – Silent – Hairy

For more information visit movember.bm or Movember Bermuda on Facebook