A Hairy History
2003. Melbourne, Australia. Two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slatterly, in mid-discussion about recurring fashion trends questioned where the Mo had gone and decided to bring it back in fundraising style, talking 30 mates into their cause. The campaign: men’s health and prostate cancer. Those initial Mo Bros grew their moustaches with such enthusiasm that the concept was formalised in 2004 in a bid to get all participants growing for a cause.
That year, the first international Mo Bros were established in Spain and the UK and a total of 450 men raised $54,000, all of which was donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) – the largest single donation they had ever received.
The 2005 campaign saw 9,315 Mo Bros raise AUD $1.12 million for the PCFA, which had become Movember’s first official men’s health partner. In 2006 Luke developed the campaign’s official tagline – “changing the face of men’s health” – 56,129 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raised AUD $9.3 million.
In 2007, the co-founders decided to grow the campaign internationally. That year saw the creative concept “Mo man is an island: Mindset, Journey, Destination” and AUD $21.5 million was raised internationally by 134,171 Mo Bros and Sistas, generating unprecedented awareness of men’s health issues.
Since then the campaign has grown exponentially. The stats are incredible: £346 million has been raised since 2003 by 4,027,688 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas across 21 countries. Last year, The Movember Foundation accepted the Social Force of the Year award from GQ magazine. Well done boys.
How to Get Involved…
…if you’re a Mo Bro. He must grow a new moustache for the 30 days of November, raising money to change the face of men’s health.
…if you’re a Mo Sista. She must embrace the Mos around her and support the men in her life. She will actively encourage the men in her life to grow a Mo and promote the importance of men’s health.
Whether you’re a Mo Bro or a Mo sista, young or old, Movember is about raising funds and awareness in order to have fun and do good. You can sign up online, create fundraising headquarters through your Mo Space, and Mo with your mates. Recruit friends, family and co-workers to join your journey; create friendly competitions to separate the thick and fulls from the thin and wispies!
Mo Events
During Movember, you’ll easily find an event near you to attend and support the cause even further. If you can’t, why not host your own event? The more conversations that can be started and the more fun that can be had along the way the better. Find out more about official Mo Events on their website.
…or register now for #morunning! Find a location near you and team your ‘tache with trainers: https://www.mo-running.com