When most people think about Movember, they think of men growing moustaches. From what I have come to learn, it is much more than that. It is about raising awareness and funds for projects that support men’s health. Movember’s projects center around three pillars: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. We at Schulich Dentistry are proud to have supported these projects for several years.
This year, Schulich’s Movember Team set a fundraising goal of $4000 and a movement goal of 2000km. Through the collective effort of over 30 men and women, we have exceeded these goals by $2,410 and 265.78 km, respectively. What a great year it has been!
One of our focuses this year was to increase the participation of females. Mo Sistas, despite their lack of facial hair, have an important part to play in men’s health. As a Mo Sista myself, I have observed the impact of my grandfather’s prostate cancer treatment on his own mental health. However, it did not stop there, I noticed a change in our whole family, from my grandmother to her sons and grandchildren. At the beginning of his treatment, our family’s distress filled the room. However, by the end of the treatment we, especially my grandfather, gained an appreciation for the present moment.
This year, Mo Sistas participated in our campaign in the following ways: they had the option of growing out their leg hair along with contributing to the movement and fundraising goals. We were fortunate enough to have participation from all avenues.
Our growing team appreciates the fact that no matter the sex, men’s health affects us all. We need both male and female participation because as the saying goes, “it takes two to tango”. We need males to guide what will and will not motivate men to take action on their health. We need females to continue to support men and help them break down barriers to health conversations. This concept is visible in our annual Movember Calendar which includes both males and females. We are proud to share this appreciation with this year’s community sponsors. We could not have completed this season without the support and prize donations from Ox-and-Bow Barbershop, Platinum Boxing, Charlottesville Brewery and Crest+Oral-B!
Thank you to staff and classmates who participated this year, we are eager to see Schulich Dentistry’s Movember Team grow next year.
Until next year Mo Bros and Mo Sistas,
Brittany Pollock
Co-lead, Schulich Movember Team
Schulich DDS Candidate 2023
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