If you're a regular reader of this site, you know that we support the growth of beards. One thing we don't give enough credit to though, is the art of the mustache. The mustache stands for more than a well-groomed gentleman. It represents the changing face of men’s health diseases like prostate and testicular cancer. In a new book that they hope to release soon, two men have told the stories of those affected.
James Lantz and Justin Fennert wanted to shed light on the men who didn’t let these diagnoses stop them. They are using the mustache as a theme to share these stories from around the country.
Their first stop last November was to the Moustache Run in Minneapolis, MN where hundreds of men and women sport the mustache for a 5k or ½ marathon. Not only do a portion of the proceeds go to the Minnesota Prostate Cancer Coalition, but they engage thousands of people yearly to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
“We met a lot of people who had amazing stories including a 17 year cancer survivor who now is very active with the Kilted to Kick Cancer organization” said Justin.
As the project continued, stories started popping up that had nothing to do with men’s health and that they knew couldn’t be ignored. “We found guys like Doyle and Jordan from Sox Place Screen Printing out of Denver, CO who work to provide a safe-house for youth in the Denver area while investing in them by teaching them the art of screen printing” Justin states.
“‘Behind the Stache’ is a book about men, their mustaches, and the inspirational stories behind them.” as Justin, describes it.
These men are the backbone of the community around them. Whether they’re creating jobs in Ethiopia or helping formerly incarcerated men create jobs for themselves.
“We love how a mustache can spark a conversation and we want that conversation to inspire those who are on the receiving end” James said.
The great thing about the book is that it’s also going to invest in the lives that are the stories inside of it. Lantz and Fennert will be investing 50% of the profits from the book back into the organizations that these men started or work for.
Along with the help of a graphic designer and hand-letterer, the book started to come to life. We’ve got men from around the country touching lives around the world and through this book you’ll get a glimpse into why and how they got their start.
“We launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds necessary for publishing, travel costs, and operations behind the design of the book.” said Fennert.
They have until March 10 to raise $18,000 that will cover all the costs associated with sharing these mustaches and the stories behind them, so if you're able to help them out you can click here to go to their Indiegogo page.
Their goal is to see the mustache not only represent men’s health awareness, but the courage and inspiration that comes from the men who sport them. Good stuff guys.
