Edmonton hockey moms spearhead clever Movember awareness campaign

Its become a tradition, of sorts, for men to grow moustaches each November in an effort to raise awareness of men’s health.

This November, two Edmonton women are standing by their men by spearheading a unique campaign that’s raising awareness and funding for Movember Canada.

“It’s a chance for our boys to support Movember, because they can’t grow moustaches,” Vivian Allan said.

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Allan and fellow hockey mom Tara Singleton came up with the idea to create and sell “Mini Mos.” The concept was conceived shortly after their son’s hockey coach – Global Edmonton’s John Sexsmith – disclosed he was fighting prostate cancer.

“My son’s coach told the team, ‘Hey, you know I have prostate cancer.’ And then a mom and I decided, what can we do to help out? We heard about Movember and we decided to start the Mini Mos,” Allan said.

READ MORE: Global reporter John Sexsmith on why he decided to share prostate cancer diagnosis

“I think it’s huge that John came out and shared his story so that other people can have the same courage to come out and talk about it,” Singleton said.

The Mini Mos are green moustache-shaped stickers that adhere perfectly onto the front of a hockey helmet or anywhere you want to show support.

“Everyone’s really supportive, everyone’s really excited,” Singleton said. “I think one person told me no. {But} it didn’t stop me,” she added while laughing.

Both women refer to themselves as “Mo Sistas” and are part of the Mo Sistas Edmonton Facebook group.

According to Movember Canada, women raised over $3 million for the Movember campaign across Canada last year alone.

“Often in the household, women are the ones in a man’s life who encourage {him} to go to the doctor, to talk about their feelings, to go and see what’s going on if something doesn’t feel right,” Mila Cormack, a spokesperson for Movember Canada, said. “Some of our best campaigns have been spearheaded by women.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Often in the household, women are the ones in a man's life who encourage {him} to go to the doctor, to talk about their feelings, to go and see what's going on if something doesn't feel right," Mila Cormack, a spokesperson for Movember Canada, said. "Some of our best campaigns have been spearheaded by women."

Movember Canada is a charity that brings awareness and raises funding for some of the biggest health issues men face including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men’s mental health and suicide prevention. The group has funded over 1,000 men’s health projects around the world over the past 13 years.

“In the same way that women are in touch with their health and tend to reach out sooner for health resources, is why you hear about women’s health more,” Cormack explained. “So this is exactly why we need women to encourage Movember and encourage men to change their attitudes about their health.”

“They’re tough,” Singleton said. “I feel like it’s really important to just encourage them and encourage our youth especially to talk about men’s issues. I feel like they have this stigma attached to them that they have to be tough and strong that they don’t want to talk about their problems but I mean, they’re people.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They're tough," Singleton said. "I feel like it's really important to just encourage them and encourage our youth especially to talk about men's issues. I feel like they have this stigma attached to them that they have to be tough and strong that they don't want to talk about their problems but I mean, they're people."

So far, Allan and Singleton have sold over 1,100 Mini Mos. The proceeds from the sales will go towards Team Global Do-Mo-Nation, which supports Movember Canada health initiatives.

“Get your hustle on, Mo’ Money!” Singleton exclaimed.

Email minimostachesticks@gmail.com to purchase a Mini Mo and show your support.

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