For a number of years now, De Raad has been taking part in Movember, an annual fundraising drive. where men don’t shave their moustache for the whole of November to raise money for charities tackling male health issues. After raising a total of 835 euros last year, the men of De Raad decided to set themselves of a target of 1,500 euros this year, which they have far exceeded. With a total of 5,000 euros, they are among the teams that raised the most money.
Mart Ummels (24, Master’s student in Management of HR and Change), in his fourth year in the fraternity, let his moustache grow. “In the previous years we made a big effort towards the end of the month, but this year we campaigned from the very beginning to raise as much money as possible,” Mart explains.
Mental health
In addition to raising awareness and money for research into testicular cancer and prostate cancer, Movember is now also about male mental health, which was an important reason for Mart to take part. “Men find it more difficult to talk about certain things, as is evident, for example, from suicide rates,” he says. “Movember has been happening for a number of years now, and people tend to forget about it. I think it also becomes a bit more relevant in this way.”
Everyone at RSG supports the campaign, and several men outside De Raad have also let their moustache grow. Michiel Riemersma (24, Master’s student in Strategic Management) is in the fraternity’s committee and talks about donations within the association. “It’s nice to see a bit of competition among the other fraternities and sororities. Everyone donates something, but who can donate the highest amount?”
Ball-themed dinner
This year the society has a new idea for a campaign: a ball-themed dinner. This will take place on 30 November. It costs 8 euros per person, and part of the proceeds will go to Movember. “All the food you get comes in the shape of a ball, like a meat ball or a chocolate ball,” explains Mart.
If there is a sense of rivalry about who has the best moustache? “There is much more of a sense of embarrassment among the guests whose moustache does not grow very much, as is the case with me,” Mart laughs. According to him, Michiel’s moustache looks much better. “Well, but my moustache is getting a bit dirty. There comes a point where I start to look forward to the end of the month,” says Michiel.
