EVENTS: Facial Hair-Growing Charity Participant Needs "Mo" Identity; Seeks Public's Help

MOVEMBER 12, 2009 – This is the first of impeding and irregular updates on the “Movember” Movement. All month, hundreds of thousands of sane men around the world will be growing out their moustaches. Is 2009 the new 1970s? No, but there's a good cause at stake: Movember has allowed $47 million to be donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The Australia-based Movember Foundation is just six years old, and came to America three years ago. Movember is like the Susan G. Komen walkathon for breast cancer, but implements upper-lip hair follicles instead of pink ribbons.

The up-side to growing an itchy food filter over your mouth is in creating a persona to match your mo (Aussie slang for moustache). As you can see in the accompanying photograph of 12 days of slow mo growth, I’ve shaved breaks between the ‘stache and the chin goatee region. This conforms to Movember regulations.

To date, I haven’t figured out what character the ol’ mo and I will become (that’s why I’ve left as much growth area still standing). For now, I’m calling myself: Mo’Ron. Actually, since I originally hail from Baltimore, perhaps I’ll go by Balti Mo’Ron for awhile.

Movember will be celebrated this year in San Diego on December 3 at Bondi Australian Bar and Kitchen. As per the past two years, the Gaslamp Quarter will be invaded by hundreds of mos. (Do not be alarmed. Most are only armed with toy weapons.)

If you’ve got a suggestion for a mustachioed character I could be for the Gala Parte at Bondi, write me a comment. Thanks for helping me figure out how to be something besides just a Mo’Ron.    

(To donate to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in the name of my soon-to-be-named moustache, click on this link: Movember Web site, and type in “Ron Donoho.”)