UW Combined Fund Drive

November 3, 2020

Promote Men’s Health This Movember

Movember is an annual event when men grow – or grow more magnificently – their moustaches to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and, more recently, mental health and suicide prevention in men.

In many communities, men don’t use healthcare resources as much or as often as they should and are, compared to women, more likely to make risky choices, drink alcohol and use tobacco. Globally, men die an average of six years earlier than women, often from preventable conditions.

Healthy lifestyle choices – regular exercise, a healthy diet, not smoking, stress reduction and moderate (if any) alcohol consumption – can go a long way in decreasing many of the major health risks that men face.

Getting regular checkups and screenings can help men to identify and treat disease early – saving lives and lengthening lifespans.

Thinking about growing out your mo? Check out Movember Foundation’s Grow a Mo resources, with pictures, tips, challenges, prizes, social media pages and alternate ways to support the effort. The Foundation has many ideas for how your mo can become funds raised to support essential research.

How You Can Help

The Movember Foundation (charity code 1481696) was founded in 2003 in Australia by two guys who wanted to both revive the moustache and support prostate cancer research. Today, there are Mo Bros and Mo Sisters in over 20 countries and the organization has raised over $700 million to fund 1,250  men’s health projects around the world. Check them out for fun resources and tips for growing your mo.

Prostate Cancer Foundation (charity code 0524527): One in six American men is diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. One dies every 19 minutes. The Prostate Cancer Foundation PCF is the world’s largest philanthropic supporter of prostate cancer research. The PCF’s urgent goal is to discover and develop new treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer (charity code 0316051): In the fight to defeat prostate cancer, we are your source for information, your voice in government, and mobile screening services for America’s underserved communities.

UW Urology Discretionary Fund (charity code 1480873): This UW fund allows the Department of Urology to pursue its mission by supporting research, teaching, patient care, and other departmental priorities.

UW Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention (charity code 1482199): Forefront, a nonprofit based out of the UW School of Social Work, advances innovative approaches in suicide prevention. Forefront has the goal of reducing the suicide rate in Washington state by a minimum of twenty percent by 2020.