The “Stache” is Back!

Making a Big Difference with Little Money:  Mustache Men

By Jackie Cular

Mustaches for Kids Baltimore began in 2008 and have been growing facial hair for local charities. The cause may sound confusing, but participants use their mustaches as conversation pieces, an ice breaker, when raising money. These growers shave their faces at least once a week, except for the mustache; in hopes as the hair grows, so do their fundraising efforts. The culminating event, Stache Bash, will celebrate the growers’ hard work raising money and awareness, as well as celebrate the plethora of facial hair patterns. Stache Bash will take place at Taps Baltimore, Federal Hill, on December 12th at 7pm.

Entrance into Stache Bash is $5, which will be donated, along with all other funds raised, to DonorsChoose.org—a non-profit organization that lets donors pick which project they would like to fund. Projects are teacher-submitted educational requests and other options, which will benefit Baltimore City and other public school systems. Donations to mustache- growing participants can be as little as $5 as well. Thus, a little will go a long way. Mustaches for Kids is a worldwide organization that has already raised over $1 million for a variety of educational causes each region—little by little, hair by hair.

Once eager grower, Baltimore-native Adam Van Bavel, explains that the Baltimore chapter is “a local group of guys, around sixty, that grow a mustache for a month in support of local classrooms.” He explains that the event is “the coolest way to fundraise that I have taken part in yet.” Because teachers’ budgets are already stretched to the thinnest thread, this organization provides funding to educators that need to purchase their own pens, pencils, paper, scissors, crayons, folders—especially when the school’s supply runs dry (this often occurs well before June).

Van Bavel and others are very excited about the variety of mustache-related activities at Stache Bash. Growers will celebrate in the Parade of Staches, will recite a mustache-related poem, will have their staches judged by a panel, and will dance—facial hair only—for on-lookers.

For more information about this event, visit www.m4kbaltimore.com. Get growing!