As men globally are growing out their moustaches to support men’s cancer, Wilfrid Laurier University students are joining in the Movember campaign and recognizing how it supports mental health.
GianPaul Delle Donne, a fourth-year psychology and business management student, and Andrew Myles, a fourth-year geography student, are running the Laurier Movember campaign this year.
Currently, 600 to 700 students are on their network raising money, while it’s estimated around 1,500 students at Laurier are participating in Movember. Since the beginning of the month, Laurier has raised over $17,000, with the overall goal being $50,000.
A new part of the campaign this year is a competition between all Laurier residences to raise the most money for Movember. In 2012, Delle Donne and Myles began a competition between the residences they were donning in. Now it has spread throughout campus.
Rather than just focusing on growing out the facial hair, Delle Donne and Myles are gearing the campaign towards promoting mental health among men.
“Guys don’t talk about it,” Myles said about mental health. “Sitting down and talking about cancer and mental health is not a fun topic and the reason why I pushed myself to do this Movember is to be able to sit down and have that conversation.”
Myles, a survivor of testicular cancer and a past don of Little House, has been doing Movember for two years.
Last year, he raised over $6,000 by participating in Movember but claims this year has been more successful because of his experience with testicular cancer. He explained that he is now able to apply his knowledge to advise men on how they can check themselves to make sure they are cancer-free.
Delle Donne, a past don of Bricker Residence and now a don of Spruce Street Residence, has been participating in Movember for three years.
“We can look at monetary amounts as much as we want, but I think it’s much more important to have those conversations now and I think that’s what we’re trying to gear towards rather than just squeezing every penny out of everybody,” Delle Donne said about the campaign.
“It’s not just about the money that’s being raised, it’s also about taking those conversations and taking it somewhere further,” Myles added.
Students have been involved in the residence campaign through fundraising and growing ‘staches.
“In high school, the campaign was to just grow out your facial hair, but now knowing that there’s a story behind it means more to me,” said Rutik Patel, a first-year biology student who is helping out with his residence’s Movember campaign.
“The lack of ability to grow facial hair has you looking for more ways to support a good cause,” said Tenae Coward, a first-year BBA and financial math student who is supporting Movember at his residence. “Seeing people on your floor supporting the campaign makes you want to help out as much as possible.”
To participate in the Laurier Movember campaign, you can follow their official Twitter page, @MovemberWLU, or like their Facebook page. They are also having a Movember themed night at Wilf’s on November 27.
