Movember deals with mens’ health
By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
CRANBURY — Committeeman Jay Taylor will be the first to tell you that facial hair is not for him.
"I applaud people who wear a moustache (sic) and make it work for them," he said. "Unfortunately, I am not one of those people."
And yet, despite this personal conviction, Mr. Taylor kept a stiff (and bristly) upper lip for the entire month of November.
Apparently Mr. Taylor’s wife shares the sentiment, because, while his wife is very supportive of the meaning behind the mustache, she much prefers her husband clean-shaven, he said.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that my wife may wake me up at one second after midnight on Dec. 1 and hand me a razor and shaving cream," he said, as November was winding to a close.
Spoiler alert: He has since shaved it off.
"My daughter looked at me (after shaving) and said, ’I am glad. You looked ugly before,’" Mr. Taylor said. "The honesty of kids!"
In the face of his family’s and his own personal opposition, the question then becomes, why would he grow one?
"The company I work for is very supportive of volunteering in the community," Mr. Taylor said. "In October, they sent an email asking for volunteers to support the cause."
The cause is prostate cancer awareness and it hit especially close to home for Mr. Taylor.
His grandfather passed away from the disease when he was a senior in high school, he said, so the opportunity to help raise money and awareness was especially meaningful.
"Moustaches (sic) aren’t that frequent so when someone suddenly grows one, it tends to stand out and lead to questions," Mr. Taylor said. "The resulting dialogue is hugely impactful in terms of not only developing awareness, but in finding cures."
Of course, looking like 80’s television private eye Magnum, P.I., portrayed by Tom Selleck, didn’t hurt either.
"I (was) called Magnum on a daily basis," he said.
Growing awareness of men’s health issues, one ’stache at a time, the Movember Foundation "is the leading global organization committed to changing the face of men’s health," according to the organization’s website.
In order to accomplish this, the foundation challenges men to grow mustaches during the month of Movember (formerly known as November).
The upper lip curiosities are great conversation starters, according to the organization, which enable it to raise public awareness and funding for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.
Mr. Taylor said that as of Nov. 25, he believed his company had raised more than $20,000 in support of the cause.
So how did he enjoy participating in Movember?
"The experience (was) very rewarding," he said. "Having the moustache (sic) achieves the objective of opening a dialogue on men’s health issues. People aren’t afraid to ask questions or make comments."
Participating opened his eyes to how many people have grandfathers, fathers or brothers affected by prostate and testicular cancer or mental health disorders, he said.
Asked if he plans on participating again next year, Mr. Taylor said, "I do. It’s not a long period of time and if it can create awareness, it’s worth it."
According to the organization’s website, there were more than 219,000 participants in Movember in the United States in 2013 and nearly $23 million was raised that year in support of men’s health issues.
The movement began in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 and presently includes campaigns in 21 countries, according to the website.
Funds raised have supported more than 800 men’s health programs to date, according to the organization.
Major supporting partners of the Movember Foundation include Barbasol, Harry’s, the Discovery Channel, TOMS, Adidas, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, ICHOM and the Prevention Institute, according to the organization’s website.