December 7, 2015
The ‘before’ picture: Randal Bell, Provincial Initiatives Consultant, Provincial Addictions & Mental Health (left) and Darren Anquist, Marketing and Resource Development, Inventory and Distribution Administrator, kicked off ‘Movember’ with bare faces and resolve to grow their moustaches in support of men’s health. | The ‘after’ picture: Looking a little hairier, Darren Anquist, Marketing and Resource Development, Inventory and Distribution Administrator (left) and his ‘mo bro’ Randal Bell, Provincial Initiatives Consultant, Provincial Addictions & Mental Health, together raised $2,208 for team “AHS Tom Sellecks”. AHS staff across the province teamed up to grow their moustaches for men’s health in the month-long Movember fundraiser.
Story by Kerri Robins; Photo courtesy of Shelly Willsey
November brought hairy good times to Alberta Health Services (AHS) when male staffers tossed their razors and let their moustaches run wild to raise more than $21,000 for men’s health in the second annual AHS Movember Mojo Network Challenge.
Seven teams across the province competed to the benefit of the Movember Foundation, which funds projects involving prostate and testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.
This year, the foundation named the University of Alberta as the recipient of a $200,000 grant for prostate cancer biomarker research.
This is good news because the Canadian Cancer Society estimates that one in eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, making it the most common cancer in men.
Led by Dr. Roger Zemp, a biomedical engineer and professor at the University of Alberta, the research will study new ways to improve diagnosis of prostate cancer by looking at genetic profiles created by biomarkers — specific molecules that can indicate the health of a tumour.
“We’re excited about this research, because not only will it help with earlier diagnosis, it will improve how we diagnose the disease,” says Dr. Zemp.
“Our research will provide more information for doctors, and therefore improve treatment decisions by applying different therapies.”
Randal Bell, Provincial Initiatives Consultant, Provincial Addictions & Mental Health, AHS, first organized the fund-raising network last year. Its two-year total now surpasses $60,000. “We had seven teams participate in this year’s challenge from around the province,” says Bell, “and we broke it down into three categories: the extra bushy, the few and far between; and the pencil thin.”
Teams comprised 49 members spread across the following:
Bell, an “AHS Tom Sellecks” team member, figured the more the hairier when he started the network. Complementary fund-raising events included: bake sales, 50/50 ticket raffles and a partnership with Starbucks to sell coffee to staff. As teams vied for one of the top three spots, in the end “Team CCI” came in first with $11,894, while “Stache Infections” came second with $4,268 and “AHS Tom Sellecks finished third with $2,208.
"It’s really great seeing everybody come together for a cause that we know will make a difference,” says Bell. “The fundraisers have been great for team building and I think that, with all the new Movember marketing, next year will bring more teams and make it our biggest yet.”
As the gentlemen got bushier, ladies who also believed in the cause got busy.
Sandra Montoya-Logan, for example, worked to get as many people involved in Movember as she could.
“I don’t know a lot about men’s cancer, but I do know how cancer feels,” says Montoya-Logan, an administrative assistant in Addiction and Mental Health, who celebrated being cancer-free last June.
“A lot of my hair didn’t grow back after my radiation and chemo treatment so I’m not growing out any hair,” says the 47-year-old mother of one. “I championed the cause by helping Randal with various events, like selling 50/50 raffle tickets and helping with bake sales.”
Claire Lamont, Country Director for the Movember Foundation, says she’s pleased with the support from AHS staff and University of Alberta students for Movember: “It’s efforts like this that make it possible to fund wonderful programs such as the prostate initiative being led by Dr. Zemp and his team.”
Since its launch in 2003, the Movember Foundation has raised more than $677 million for men’s health and currently supports more than 1,000 programs to bring about positive changes in men’s well-being. For more information, or to make a gift on behalf of men’s health, contact your local health foundation.
