by Meredith Hooper
No Shave November has grown in popularity over the past couple of years. Sure, you toss your razors and shaving cream aside to compete with your friends to see whose beard can be the best, but is there a meaning behind this cliche?
For the Hill siblings of Chicago, the meaning behind No Shave November took a much stronger hold after their father passed away from colon cancer.
Turning their grief into a great idea, the eight siblings founded No Shave November, an organization that uses funds to support the American Cancer Society. In their first year only, they raised 40,000 dollars to go towards cancer research and treatment.
The Hill siblings aren’t the only ones raising money for a cause. Darren Weigl, a member of the Holmes Team, is also taking the plunge and growing out his beard to raise money for Holmes Desmelik, a first grader from Brevard who has brain cancer.
“I tried raising money last year for the Holmes team, but to no avail,” said Weigl, “This year, my costume required shaving my goatee for the first time in over eight years, so I decided to use that as a clean slate for No Shave November. And when I thought about what I would do as far as philanthropy goes, Holmes immediately came to mind.”
Regardless of age or gender, you can still donate to the American Cancer Society by going to their website and clicking ‘Donate’ in the upper right corner of the home page.
“I haven’t raised much, but I am planning to make a bigger push this week,” said Weigl.