It started with a man and his Mo. It grew to encompass the entire town of Davidson, North Carolina. This Mo Spotlight shines on Brian Helfrich and his personal Movember movement.
First year Mo Bro Brian Helfrich knew he had to get involved with Movember when his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Brian worked with his brother Tim and their friend Chris to create a series of Mo events to raise awareness and funds throughout the month of Movember.
Leading the charge, Brian inspired the community of Davidson to take action. Summit Coffee, where Brian worked, served as the Movember hub for the town, hosting a series of events encouraging men to grow and women to support the Mo. To kick off Movember 2011, Brian helped organize a big community event to kick off the campaign- a Movember Twilight 5k race and concert. More than 200 runners participated then celebrated with the community at a live music event held at Summit Coffee.
Soon, the small town had 9,000 Mo-growers. The community got creative in their Movember support- Mo Bro Gordon Clark dressed his famous Pedicab with a 3-foot wide moustache, most of the junior class at Woodlawn High was seen with some upper lip sweaters, and all male baristas at Summit Coffee flowed and showed their Mo’s for 30 days.
While this was the first year Davidson supported Movember, it won’t be the last! Mo Bro Brian fully anticipates leading the Davidson Mo charge every year, and growing the awareness each time.
Thank you, Mo Bro Brian Helfrich and the community of Davidson, NC!
ARTIST DAVID PHILLIPS
David Phillips plans to take over the art world. He has completed music videos, public installations, and hundreds of paintings in his career. Working from his studio in Venice, CA and gaining gallery representation, he quickly became one of LA’s most notable emerging artists.
David is grateful for his success, and wanted to give back to his supportive community, so he joined the Movember movement. One of his best friends got him involved in Movember, and he’s been a Mo Bro for the past 3 years. This year, David wanted to find a unique way to give back to his generous donors. He decided to pick one lucky donor at random and award them one of his super cool paintings, valued at more than $2,000!
DR. BLAZEY
When approached by a student to support Movember, Dr. Blazey’s first thought was: “How can growing a moustache make an impact and why?” Once he did some research, he instantly knew he had to get involved, as our cause resonated with his medical practice.
A week or so into his Movember Mo-growth, he was enjoying the discussions his hairy upper lip prompted amongst his colleagues and students. He enjoyed seeing men and women openly talking about men’s health issues. When a patient asked about his Mo, Dr. Blazey went right into his explanation of Movember, and the risks of prostate cancer. The patient then asked if her husband needed to have a prostate cancer screening, and the doctor verified that he did indeed. Ironically, the patient’s husband was in the waiting room, so Dr. Blazey brought him right in and administered the prostate screening.
A week later the results found that the gentleman did have early grade prostate cancer. Thanks to the early detection, his cancer will be non-invasively treated and he will have no long term effects. “I’d like to think that the ‘Mo’ might have saved his life,” said Dr. Blazey. We are humbled to see the power of the moustache!
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