Eagles to help tackle cancer in ‘Movember’
USA Rugby Men's National Team will grow mustaches on their November tour to help raise funds and awareness for men's health.
BOULDER, Colo. – The business man. The box car. The trucker. The regent. The undercover brother. These are some of the mustache styles you may see on the faces of the USA Rugby Men’s National Team this month, but they aren’t growing them for glamour or high-fashion.
Every 2.7 seconds a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer. That fact, among others, is why this November the Eagles will be sporting some fantastic, eye-catching “Mos” (slang for mustaches). The team will participate in “Movember,” an annual international men’s health and cancer awareness campaign.
Movember has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since its inception in 2003. This year, all proceeds will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and LIVESTRONG.
“The Prostate Cancer Foundation is very excited to be working with Movember,” said Dan Zenka, Vice President of the PCF and a recently diagnosed prostate cancer patient. “Movember brings the important message of prevention and early detection and treatment to a younger demographic that mobilizes behind the cause and raises awareness for this disease…The funds raised…will be deployed rapidly by PCF to accelerate research for better diagnostics, treatments and cures.”
In addition to the funds raised, every person sporting a “Mo” (moustache) becomes a walking, talking billboard for cancer awareness.
“It’s humbling to see so many men and women passionately support this cause,” said Adam Garone, CEO and Co-Founder of Movember. “These days you can’t grow a moustache without people asking what’s going on, and that leads to amazing conversations about cancers that affect men.”
As Garone said, men aren’t the only ones who can help the cause. Women the world over are showing their support for the men in their lives (one in six of whom will statistically be struck by the disease) by becoming Movember ambassadors. Women who join the movement and help raise funds for the cause are affectionately called “Mo Sistas” and men are “Mo Bros.”
According to recent findings, men are 40 percent more likely than women to die from cancer due to the fact that men avoid or delay going to the doctor and fail to lead a proactively healthy lifestyle.
USA Rugby, from youth to the senior levels, encourages healthy lifestyle choices for players and the sport of rugby is known for its strong sense of camaraderie. So, it’s no surprise that the Eagles and USA Rugby want to support this very worthy cause and help prevent deaths by promoting awareness and encouraging proactive and healthy life choices.
Eagle second-rower and rugby pro, John van der Giessen, expresses both the rugby ethos and the sentiment behind Movember when asked why he will be a part of Movember.
“I believe in fighting for a good cause,” said van der Giessen. “The Eagles are a group of men that realize that men’s health issues are very important. At least four of the 28 players on the Men’s National Team could fall to prostate cancer if current statistics hold true.”
As a group, the Men’s National Team wants to use their November tour to help garner attention for the cause. “The Eagles celebrate the opportunity to show our support by proudly growing mustaches. It is our hope to bring more attention to the cause,” said van der Giessen.
This is how you can get involved:
1) Go to www.movember.com and register yourself by November 1.
2) Create a team or join an existing team (join the USA Rugby network, if you’re so inclined).
3) Invite your friends, teammates, colleagues, family members, whomever, to join and donate to Movember. For men, you need to shave on November 1 to create a blank canvas for your soon-to-be amazing “Mo.”
4) Solicit donations that can be made through your online “Mo Space” page.
5) Grow your moustache of choice throughout November and update your “Mo Space” profile frequently and see how your “Mo” stacks up.
6) After a month of growth, enjoy the company of fellow “Mo Bros” and “Mo Sistas” at a local “Movember Gala Partae” or host your own local event!
Why all the moustaches? It’s time men and women understand the facts:
• 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed.
• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. One new case occurs every 2.7 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes.
• Rates of prostate cancer in men are comparable to rates of breast cancer in women.
• In 2010, about 569,490 Americans are expected to die of cancer, more than 1,500 a day, cancer accounts for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths.
• The World Health Organization projects that in 2010, cancer will become the leading cause of death globally, surpassing heart disease and stroke.
To check out the Men’s National Team’s “Mo’s” during the month, check out their “Mo Space” pages on Movember.com, or check out USA Rugby’s website (http://www.usarugby.org) and Facebook Fan Page.
Jarrod Beckstrom | Communications Manager | USA Rugby |
jbeckstrom@usarugby.org | 303.539.0300 ext. 124
