Last year, with a small nucleus of extremely dedicated growers, we raised nearly $2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon. I don’t need to tell my ‘stache bros what a great organization they are and how deserving they are of our fundraising efforts.

But this year we’re going to try something a little bit different.

Ever the trendsetting community-focused ‘staches we are, this year Mustaches for Kids Vancouver is going to mix it up and focus our fundraising efforts a little closer to home  Some of you may have seen this article in the Vancouver Sun a few weeks ago, reporting on this open letter by Admiral Seymour Elementary teacher Carrie Gelson to the people of Vancouver. When a ‘stache-growing man reads about these great kids having to deal with those kinds of stresses, helping them is a real no-brainer. Even for a bunch of guys that help by growing mustaches. It’s the least we can do.

Let’s show 2010′s fundraising total who’s boss (hint: it’s not Angela OR Tony) and kick it into high gear for the kids of Admiral Seymour Elementary.  Through the course of the campaign we’ll learn more about these kids and see exactly where our fundraising dollars are doing and how we’ll make a difference in their lives with donations, food, clothing, books and more.  If that doesn’t get your upper lip all tingly, then maybe you need to think about growing a charity mustache once in a while. Hey, why not November 3rd?

If you’d like to join our campaign to restore positive ‘stacheness to the lower mainland for 5 weeks in November (and December), please register now!

However, the real story on Thursday at the ‘Stache Bash was young Colin “what’s that on your lip?” Fraser who upset a crop of bushier, fuller mustaches to prove once and for all that mustache “is more in the heart than on the face”.  Well done, Colin!

Here are a few photos from the bash courtesy of Rachel Sanders!

Now is a great time to look back on all that was accomplished in Vancouver in the last 12 months since our inaugural campaign last year. Well, there were a few sporting events event in February but other than that it’s pretty much been lights out on the west coast since we raised a respectable $2, 710 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon.  Really, it was our pleasure.

This year we have high hopes of eclipsing our 2009 fundraising total with MORE growers, MORE mustaches and MORE flamboyant cowboy costumes at the ‘stache bash.

If you’d like to join our campaign to restore ‘stacheness to the lower mainland for 4 weeks in November and December, please register now!

And while you’re admiring Mark’s killer ‘stachitude (referred to by some growers as a “perfect cop mustache”) please enjoy the Mustaches for Kids Vancouver official theme song: ZZ Top’s Manic Mechanic!

Congratulations, growers! You’ve made it this far… that is to say, you’ve made it to the first day and performed the simple task of shaving your face according to the mustache rules and regulations.

The next step is the hard part — not shaving the area above your upper lip for the next 4 weeks. All that’s left to do now is sit back and watch the follicles have a mustache party on your face.

But, wait! That’s not really the only thing left to do.  There’s also some serious fundraising to take care of.  Serious FUNdraising.  See what I did there? I put the word “fun” into “fundraising” to emphasize that we will enjoy raising money with our beautiful, beautiful mustaches.

Be sure to check out the official 2009 Mustaches for Kids Vancouver Grower Kit — the defacto guide for growing a mustache in the lower mainland for the purposes of raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon.

See you at the Railway Club tonight!

This letter is your official call-to-’stache, a rallying cry for those dormant whiskers and that sense of charity and righteousness within us all.

Don’t have the attention span required to read medium-length passages of text? Here’s the gist:

• REGISTER now at www.m4kvancouver.org
• CLEAN SHAVE DAY is Thursday, November 12th at the Railway Club
• Change your Facebook status to tell everybody you’re growing for M4K Vancouver

And Now the Long-Winded Explanation…

We’ve set an ambitious (but totally attainable) goal of raising $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon. To put it in perspective, that’s $5,000 more than $0.  The gauntlet has been thrown — let’s come together and show Vancouver the real meaning of growing a mustache.

For those of you not aware of such noble and ‘stachely endeavours, Mustaches for Kids is a volunteer-run organization started in Los Angeles in 1999 to do good and have fun by growing lip rugs for children’s charities. Collectively, chapters across the US and Canada have raised hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the kids.

Conceptually, Mustaches for Kids works like the read-a-thons you did in grade school. Except there’s no reading requirement. And you’re growing a mustache. (OK — not exactly the same but you get the idea). Each Grower collects pledges from friends, co-workers, distant relatives, acquaintances, local merchants and bus drivers to sponsor their ’stache.

This year we are asking Growers to step up to the ‘Stache and help the Vancouver chapter of M4K in its inaugural year to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

That warm fuzzy feeling that extends from your gut to a tingle in the upper lip is telling you something: you want to help us. The least you can do is grow a Mustache, right? That’s what we thought.

So you’re curious, you’re interested, you’re psyched, you’re wondering how you’re going to explain this to your boss/family/significant other. Let’s start slow:

1. The first thing to do is get a marker, open your calendar, turn to THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12th 2009, and write ‘M4K CLEAN SHAVE DAY’. We’ll be gathering at the Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir at Seymour) around 8pm to kick off the 2009 Mustache Growing Season and to distribute Mustache growing and fundraising materials.
2. To officially join the cause, please register right now.
3. The next thing you do is update your Facebook status and send an email to anyone you know who 1) might want to grow a Mustache or 2) might know someone who might want to grow a Mustache. So that’s pretty much everyone. M4K depends on word-of-stache enthusiasm and you wouldn’t want to be the person who ruins the vibe, now would you?

If you have any questions, concerns, or funny mustache jokes please drop us a line at info@m4kvancouver.org

And you can find out about the global Mustaches for Kids movement here: www.mustachesforkids.org

The follicles are tingling in anticipation.

Your chapter organizers,
Steve and Rory