Movember
The first official Movember was in 2004, when 262 registered Mo Bros raised just over $55,000 for PCFA. News of Movember spread, and the following year saw 9315 Mo Bros Australia-wide raise an impressive $1.2M.
In 2006 Movember exceeded all expectations and by the end of the month, $6.63M had been raised by Mo Bros and Mo Sistas. That year beyondblue was announced as Movember's second Australian beneficiary, which has enabled the organisation to increase community awareness about male depression, which can often go hand-in-hand with a disease like prostate cancer. 2006 was also the year that Movember gained international recognition as a fun way to raise money for a serious cause.
Movember's original founders, Luke Slattery, Travis Garone, Adam Garone and Justin Coghlan were asked to coordinate additional campaigns in the UK, USA, Canada and Spain and New Zealand, and in 2007 a phenomenal 130,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas participated worldwide. In Australia alone there were over 96,000 participants - more than double the previous year. In terms of awareness, a recent survey showed that over 70% of Movember participants have become more aware of men's health issues and have discussed those issues with family members, friends or colleagues. This kind of communication is important for promoting early detection of prostate cancer and breaking down the stigma attached to depression.
Registrations for 2009 will open in September 2009 - visit http://au.movember.com/
or call for registration assistance call 1300 GROW MO (1300 4769 66).
