No-Shave November: Get hairy for a good cause
November is going to be wild and woolly, but we think it will be worth it!
Why? You see, this month has been dubbed “No-Shave November,” an annual effort by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness and much-needed funds in the fight against cancer. Additionally, there is plenty of activity under the “Movember” movement, too.
As the no-shave.org website states: “The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”
This year, a small but growing team of Windows Phone app developers is rallying the developer community — and Windows Phone fans around the world — to help.
Leading the charge for this team is independent developer Andrew Long. He has been developing Windows Phone apps for many years, and he recently released an app for all of the members of his team to track their progress.
Currently, Andrew’s team includes three other developers as well as a few family members. (Note: I joined their team this week.) Their team name is “WPDevSU2C,” which stands for “Windows Phone Devs Stand Up To Cancer.”
While initially the expectation was that this team would only include developers, it is not restricted in any way. Anyone who is a Windows Phone fan—that means you!–is encouraged to join.
Why did Andrew decide to get behind this effort?
As he notes in a recent post on his blog: “A few weeks ago I got lazy and stopped shaving for several days. I was reminded of the No-Shave November initiative run by the American Cancer Society and thought that would be a great way to raise some money for cancer research and excuse myself from shaving for a whole month.”
He added, “I have family members who have fought and won as well as succumbed to this horrible disease, so the American Cancer Society is one of my favorite charities.”
Andrew’s team goal is to raise $10,000. That may sound like a lot, but if 100 people sign up on his team and each member can get friends, family, co-workers and even strangers on the Internet to donate $10, that goal can easily be met, he pointed out.
One hundred percent of donations go to cancer research and to providing information and services to cancer patients and their caregivers.
Are you ready to make a difference? You can join team WPDevSU2C now! Donations will be accepted all month. You can also start your own team for $10, which will go towards your own team’s fundraising goal.
“I know the community can come together to achieve some pretty great things,” said Andrew.
And, just for fun, you can view the photo gallery of the team members who post no-shave selfies using the #WPDevSU2C hashtag on Twitter (sample at right).
Download the #WPDevSU2C app now.
You can get more information from Andrew’s blog.
*Feature image courtesy of Gratisography.