The Brides' Project

Archive for the ‘Fundraising’ Category

We were hard-pressed to decide who our last five Movember winners of $1,000 would be, so we went random for this part.

The five winners are (in no particular order):

Peter: http://mobro.co/PFriesen
Matt (you may recognize his mo’ — it was the face of our campaign!): http://www.movember.com/m/769484
Paul: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/1392448
Al: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/376236/
Jan: http://mobro.co/redgeckoto

Mad props go to Jan, who created a special promotional video for his Movember campaign. Check it out, it’s a DOOZY!

Thanks to everyone who participated, we’ll see you next Movember!

Movember – Special Announcement from Jan Keck | Red Gecko Productions on Vimeo.

MUSTache, by Justin Weber

Justin Webster! His mo’ is magnificent! Behold…

So, a reason for taking part in Movember? Well, the fact that it’s for a great cause is obviously everyone’s number one reasoning. Being a guy with a gastrointestinal disease, I understand why guys might feel a little shy going to see the doc. But the fact of the matter is, your health is really all you’ve got. Without it, not much else matters.

Movember’s also a good excuse to have fun and really look as ridiculous as I can. It draws attention and in turn causes awareness. And lets be honest, would you let your boyfriend look like this any other month? My girlfriend wouldn’t and I don’t blame her. Fortunately the two words ‘for charity’ make everything ok.

Justin’s Movember page: http://www.movember.com/m/509855

Congratulations, Justin! Thank you for participating, and watch out for the razor burn!

Movember Canada

… WHOAAAA… hold your horses, folks, we have a technical problem with sponsoring and will resolve the issue as soon as we can so we can award Winner #5 and the random 5 ‘staches.

Well, Mike’s double mo has been surpassed by a whole classful of mo’s!!! Congratulations to Al (and his students) as our FOURTH Movember winner of a $1000 donation from us.   It’s not too late to enter!!  We will be picking the final entry based on reasons for participating on December 1st, along with FIVE RANDOM WINNERS of $1000 each!

Movember class

And this is what Al had to say,

Three years on in Movember and it’s great to see so many more Mo-Bros and Mo-Sis’ getting on board.  My father has been healthy and cancer free ever since the discovery and treatment of his prostate cancer. It’s essential for conversations to start happening with the men in your lives.   Even with regular physicals prostate cancer can sneak up on you.  Get checked, don’t wait.

As an educator it’s great to be able to encourage the future citizens and leaders of our society about such great endeavours as cancer research and the need for continued support, both financial and simple awareness.  It’s great to hear students tell me that their dad is also growing a Mo this month – they’re the ones who don’t usually smirk or outright laugh at my new facial style.  My class was very eager to don their own Faux-Mos for this pic.

Start conversations, ask your doctor, don’t be shy.  It’s vital that prostate cancer doesn’t go unnoticed.

And the winner(s) is (are)… Mike & Matthew!

This picture was too cute for words, and we feel pretty confident that when the little fella can grow his very own ‘mo’, he’ll make his Dad proud!  Meanwhile, he still gets smooches, and what can we say Mike… the suffering will be worth it with our $1000 donation to your fundraising efforts.

This is what Mike had to say about his participation in Movember:

This is my third year participating in Movember and I hope to participate in many more.  I’m doing this for my father, a prostate cancer survivor; for my grand father, who succumbed to his cancer; and my son (pictured) who will eventually be affected by the genes we’ve passed down to him.  I’ve attached a photo of my mo’ from last season with my son supporting me wearing his falsie.  I’m looking forward to my first kiss in a month.  Thanks for supporting the cause and thanks to those willing to endure the wisker burns.

Keep those entries coming in!  Today we selected our second winner based on reasons for participating and I found Mark’s story really interesting.

Here’s his killer ‘mo’….

And this is what he had to say:

Somebody once said to me “You couldn’t grow a moustache to save your life.”  “That may be true.” I said.  “But, there is nothing stopping me from trying to grow a moustache to save somebody Else’s life.  So, I did.  That was last November, and this year I’m at it again.  Last year I did the standard, cop styled ‘stache.  But, this year I am going for what I call the full-on Morgan Spurlock handlebar. (Morgan Spurlock:- See documentary film maker most famous for “Super size me.”)

When I started the ‘stache people would say to me “Hey growing a moustache, eh?”  And I would reply “Actually, it grows all by itself.  I’m just not doing anything to prevent it from growing or getting any worse.”  I would off-handedly add “I’ve been shaving all around the ‘stache but not really dealing with it directly.”  I think that’s the whole point of Movember.
Nobody would say, “Hey, I notice you have something odd happening below your belt line.”  Anymore than you would retort “Actually, whatever is going on is happening all on it’s own.  I’m just not doing anything to prevent it from happening or from getting any worse.”

Movember cookie moustache

As the webmaster for The Brides’ Project, I encourage everyone to support men’s health. This website may be for women, but we also want to acknowledge the guys, too. Ladies, there are lots of ways we can support men’s health, from encouraging them to get regular checkups (men are notorious for not going to the doctor) to exercising together to promoting good nutrition. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

(Cookies are not exactly the healthiest food, but you can’t go wrong with a cookie moustache to support Movember! Just don’t have too many of them…)

As you can see by the proliferation of facial hair here, we are in the middle of sponsoring Movember and we’d love to help you gents bump up your fundraising total by $1,000. Just read the instructions (there aren’t many!) and your moustache may turn into a cash ‘stache, the poshest whiskers north of the Mississippi.

Get your entries in!

Thank you to all those who have submitted entries so far… and while we’ve selected our first winner, there are still 4 more who will be selected based on their reasons for participating, and 5 random lucky fellas (or mo-sistas!)  Scroll down for more information on Movember and our 2011 contest.

Congratulations Robert! We have made a $1000 donation to your fundraising efforts and put you in the Platinum Club!

Here’s a picture of Robert’s mo from 2010, and this is his second year taking part:

Robert had this to say about his participation:

I found out about your incredible organization through my fiancee, who used you to get her wedding dress. I am honoured to hear that you will be supporting Movember, because it’s an undeniably positive contribution to the subject of mens’ health.

I took part in Movember last year to support my brother-in-law’s team, and that was the first time I seriously thought about prostate cancer and the polite conspiracy of silence surrounding it. As the month went on and I noticed more and more hair on other mens’ upper lips (admittedly much more hair than I could muster), the more I admired the Movember project because it gave men a symbol they could wear that says “we don’t talk about our health enough, and we want that to stop.” I’m not a researcher in a public health project like my sister in South Africa, I don’t tend to the dying in a hospice like my sister in Sault Ste Marie, nor can I say that anyone in my family has died of cancer. In fact, prostate cancer never really was a subject I thought about (much less donated to) before I was invited to participate last year. But that has changed, and I  (as well as many other men) only have Movember to thank for that. That’s why I support them.

Moustache Matt

It’s that time of the year again — time to turn a page in your calendar from October to MOVEMBER!

We’re doubling our Movember donation from $5,000 (in the end it was $5,100) last year to a whopping 10Gs this year. Yes, you heard right: we’re planning our $10,000 donation to Movember 2011… and looking forward to listening to our male counterparts telling us why they participate!

We’ll be offering $1,000 each week for the most compelling story (x5), and then 5 x $1,000 donations randomly assigned based on the order of the email receipt to movember@thebridesproject.com

Let the men in your life know that we support them too!!!

Please ask them to submit:

1. a pic of their ‘mo’ (a more fully formed pic from previous years is acceptable!)
2. their reasons for taking part and supporting the cause
3. a link to their personal fundraising page at Movember Canada

Email those 3 things as a single entry to: movember@thebridesproject.com but only ONE (1) entry per person, please. We can spot a double-mo from miles away, so don’t try it!

Remember… submissions will be lowest in the first week, so to increase their odds of winning, SUBMIT SOON!!! And spread the word to friends, family and colleagues that their guy’s fundraising page will be the envy of moustaches everywhere with a $1,000 boost from The Brides’ Project. Good luck, everyone!

Team Brides' Project at the Finish Line

We did it! And we did it through rain and wind and layers upon layers of clothing — including veils and crinolines! As always, we drew lots of curious attention with our outfits, but there were plenty of others who dressed up, too.

Front:

Team Full Support

Back:

Team Full Support

Masked Crusaders

It was great to see so many people out on a Sunday morning (after Nuit Blanche, where people were up all night long) showing their community spirit and support.

More pics at the album, or view as a full-screen slideshow.

I shot some video, but it’s pretty shaky!

The Brides’ Project is a proud participant in this year’s annual event supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to fund breast cancer research and health promotion initiatives. It is the largest single-day, volunteer-led event in Canada in support of the breast cancer cause. This year (its 20th) it will take place on Sunday, October 2.

The Brides’ Project team of volunteers will be doing a 5km walk at the Toronto site, the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. Click here for a full list of locations.)

The funds raised go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information about the Foundation, its work, and where the money goes in your region, visit www.cbcf.org.

If you’d like to sponsor us, our team page is here. You can help us by sponsoring the team, an individual volunteer, or by joining us at the site on October 2. Whichever way you choose, please know that we appreciate your support!

This Sunday is the annual Terry Fox Run, and The Brides’ Project is a proud participant in the 31st year:

http://www.terryfox.org/Run/index.html
http://www.terryfox.org/Foundation/

The Terry Fox Run is an innovative and volunteer-led event, all-inclusive, non-competitive, with no corporate sponsorship, incentives or fundraising minimums. To date, over $550 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.

On Sunday, Helen and some of the volunteers can be spotted at Wilket Creek Park, and Gail is taking her fundraising feet up to the beautiful shores of Lake Huron. Would you like to join us? The event is relaxed and you can choose to walk, run, bike, or rollerblade 5km or 10kms — whichever you prefer. You can sign up on the day, even.

If you’d like to participate, there are 13 run sites in Toronto (most are 5km/10km) — see here for the links: http://www.terryfox.org/Run/Ontario.html

Beaches
Central YMCA
High Park
Mooredale
North York
Rosedale/Moore Park
Scarborough
Seneca College
UCC/Forest Hill
West Hill
Wilket Creek Park
York University
Toronto Island

You don’t have to register in advance, you can just show up and fill out a short form at the run site.

Enjoy a fun autumn Sunday afternoon outside and support cancer research at the same time!

The most lovely Tarin Olding is a great friend of The Brides’ Project, and Helen had the distinct pleasure of performing her marriage to Donny in October 2008.

Tarin recently wrote to say, “Hi Helen, I have been growing my hair for almost 4 1/2 years – ever since Donny proposed!

I am now ready to chop it ALL OFF!!!!  So I thought why not try and raise some money for a charity that helps kids with cancer!  As a bonus they make sure the hair gets to a company that donates wigs to kids with cancer related hair loss!

Please help me to raise funds for the Childhood Cancer Foundation’s research fund (C17 Research Network) that helps kids at all 17 children’s hospitals in Canada.”  Here is the link to her fundraising page: http://childhoodcancer.akaraisin.com/smallhands/tarinolding

And Tarin has a LOT of hair!  Check out her beautiful mane, that will be used to offer wigs AT NO COST to children fighting cancer.  Way to go Tarin, we’re behind you 100%.

Thanks so all our friends, family and BRIDES!!! we put together a team for Relay 2011 and raised a total of $26,015 for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life this year.  This puts our total donations for 2011 at over $46,000 only half way through the year.  Our goal is $60,000, but we sincerely hope to be overachievers.

And… holy smokes!  We more than doubled what we raised for Relay for Life in 2010, and we are, for the second year in a row, the #1 fundraising team for the Toronto Central event.

Our thanks go to the brides who have bought or donated a dress here ( or even just provided us a donation in thanks for a great experience), our volunteers who run the shop to assist those brides, our other participants who raised extra funds and took part; and our friends and family who sponsored us in the event.  Your contributions are all very important and made this possible.

Here’s a preliminary picture of our crew at the event… we hope to post more because we have a couple who are missing from this picture!

It’s Relay time again! That’s right, we’re not just about pretty wedding dresses, we’re here to fundraise and commit ourselves to the cause — and that’s kicking cancer to the curb! We do it by volunteering our time and skills, selling wedding dresses, and participating in fundraising events. Our big June event is the annual Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, and this year we’re taking part on Friday, June 17 in Sunnybrook Park. (See here for previous Relay For Life posts.)

Relay For Life – Toronto Sunnybrook Park page

Our team page is here: The Brides’ Project Relay For Life Team

Why we Relay

The Brides’ Project has been involved with Relay for Life for the last 4 years, and each year, our contribution grows.

We strongly believe in, and support the efforts of the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life because every step we take in Relay raises money to help the Canadian Cancer Society save lives. The Society has provided millions in funding for cancer research, and combined with efforts from the Odette Cancer Center at Sunnybrook, we know they will make a huge difference.

Every year we are encouraged and inspired by the fact that our dollars make a difference. We hear more stories of success and survival, and we hope that in our lifetimes, cancer will be beaten.

Join us in the fight against cancer by supporting our team now. It’s easy – just click on the blue “Support” button to make a donation to the event.

Learn more about why the Canadian Cancer Society is our best partner in the fight against cancer at www.cancer.ca

Last year we earned the TOP SPOT as a team, raising more than $11,000! See some our photos here. We were also part of the media campaign for Relay For Life 2010.

In 2009 we were also a very visible team — all night long! Check out some of our photos from Relay For Life 2009 here.

You can help fire up our stalwart team by sponsoring us, or an individual on our team: The Brides’ Project Relay For Life Team (Donations over $20 get an tax deductible receipt.)

If you’re in Toronto, considering joining a team or meeting us at the park and walking with us. Come by and say hello! In our big white dresses, we won’t be hard to find

With our thanks to all the salons, designers and brides who have donated dresses, and the lovely new brides-to-be who have found those treasures here, we have again exceeded our fundraising goal for the first quarter.

This year we added Gilda’s Club to our list of beneficiaries.  You can learn more about Gilda’s Club on our Beneficiaries page.

Here is what they say about our contribution:

Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto is grateful for the support we have received from the The Brides’ Project. Thanks to their support we are able to open our doors to even more families touched by cancer – offering support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social activities. By supporting us, The Brides’ Project is on the leading edge in solving a critical gap in care for people living with cancer.  Thank you Brides’ Project for supporting our commitment to provide the best practices of social and emotional support to all people living with cancer, along with their families and friends.

And, for the 6th year in a row, we continue to support Camp Quality to help children and their families.  The Executive Director came buy to pick up a cheque for $15,000, which our fearless leader gladly handed over!   This donation will allow 30 children affected by cancer to enjoy the camp experience this summer.

And last but not least, our final Movember mo’s, sent to us by Shawna in one email. We couldn’t sponsor one and not the other, so we sponsored BOTH $100!

I had to send photos of the incredibly handsome Mo’s in my life. One is my brother who works for Movember & the other is my fiance who is in support of Movember with his workplace, MLSE.

Fiance, Mick – http://ca.movember.com/mospace/598144/

Brother, Jesse – http://ca.movember.com/mospace/467661/

Photo’s are attached! I look forward to seeing them on the site AND to booking my appointment to try wedding dresses with you! I think this is great what you are doing!

Shawna

Thanks to all the mo’s out there, raising money for Prostate Cancer Canada. We’ve had fun seeing your mo’ pics and taking part in the Movember campaign. We’re only halfway through November, so there’s still a couple of weeks of fundraising to go. Don’t stop mo’ving, keep up the good work!

Hi this entry is for Ryan Grant he is part of a crew of about 15 guys who donate their faces for the glorious spectacle that is Movember. Has been doing this for 4 years now and it just gets bigger every year.

I have had some people close to me be affected with this disease so it’s a no brainer to help out one Mo’ @ a time Keep growing fellas

Ryan’s fundraising page: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/181859/

Ryan, your mo’ is sprouting well and we are pleased to contribute $100 to its mo’gress!

Our forty-eighth Movember mo’ was submitted by Norma, whose boyfriend Josh has a mo’ that’s halfway on its journey and taking shape nicely!

We’re pleased to add $100 to Josh’s fundraising page, and encourage you to do the same:
http://ca.movember.com/mospace/1059738/

His team, Mo’ple Leaf Sports, has already raised $16,700! Go team!

I’m growing my Mo to raise awareness about early detection. My Father was diagnosed with cancer, and due to it being caught early enough, he has survived. It is so important for all of us men to have our check-ups regularly!

Please support my mo-space here: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/1156860/

Thanks Brides’ Project!

Ross

Thank YOU, Ross! Your mo’ is our forty-seventh Movember mo’ and worthy of a $100 donation to beef up your fundraising page. Congrats!