Movember Begins in Toronto

Movember Begins in Toronto
Kristina Skorbach
11/9/2011
Updated:
11/10/2011

TORONTO—The sight of men of all stripes sporting moustaches is a sign that Movember is upon us once again.

The yearly campaign where men grow moustaches in November to raise awareness about prostate cancer is gaining increasing national recognition, similar to the pink ribbon campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer that takes place in October.

Mayor Rob Ford marked the launch of the campaign this year by issuing a proclamation calling November 2011 as Movember in Toronto and encouraging men to grow moustaches.

“Together with the women who support them, these fine ‘Mo Bros’ and ’Mo Sistas’ start conversations about men’s health, raise much needed funds, and dedicate themselves to the appreciation of fine moustachery,” Ford said in the proclamation.

There will be a number of events including galas and concerts held across the city featuring raffles and competitions to raise funds for prostate cancer research.

Last year Canadians raised over $22.3 million with the number of participants reaching close to 119,000. Globally, funds collected summed up to $76.8 million.

“[These global figures] are amazing particularly given that Movember started as a bit of a joke to bring back the moustache over a few beers in 2003,” said Adam Garone, CEO and co-founder of the Movember campaign in the organization’s 2011 annual global report.

The campaign started as an idea by a group of friends in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003 who were having a few drinks at a small bar. Since then, it has grown as a global movement to raise awareness about men’s health issues.

In Canada, the funds raised are directed to programs directly run by Movember and Prostate Cancer Canada in areas of awareness, education, survivorship, and research.