Movember may be over, but senior Kevin O’Rourke is keeping his stache
He actually prefers a beard
Every November, a curse descends upon Boston College.
Our hot Eagles, usually well-groomed and quite well-dressed, take a stand against better hygiene and don’t shave. But as true Eagles, they’re not doing it for themselves – they’re being men for others.
Senior Kevin O’Rourke, an Accounting major, has participated in Movember each of his four years at BC.
He’s infamously known as “The Mustache Ref” for his stunning November accessory, and pledged to raise $400 this month for men’s health.
Additionally, he participated in Movember’s MOVE campaign – to be active every day – and snapped a daily selfie.
No scruff in sight
Unlike No Shave November, Movember is an initiative to help change the face of men’s health, raising money to support four core areas: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and physical inactivity in men.
Started by two men in Australia, Movember has expanded to 21 countries and nearly five million people have participated – including guys on our very own campus.
Kevin first become involved freshman year, when RHA ran a program sponsoring Movember.
He said: “I grew a mustache that year and there was a competition and I had won it, so I then decided to look more into [the organization].
“The next year, my sophomore year, the Head of Campus at Movember had reached out to me because they had started a campus rep program where they have a representative for Movember on college campuses, since they are such good places to fundraise and spread awareness.”
The Mustache Ref – Day 11
Kevin pledged to raise $500 for Movember, noting while the organization has its own foundation, they work with a couple of larger ones, such as the Livestrong Foundation and a prostate cancer foundation.
He added: “It seeks to find solutions for people going through men’s health issues.
“They focus on four main areas: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and physical inactivity.”
To address physical inactivity by men, in addition to expanding November’s initiatives to include women, Movember started MOVE, a pledge to be physically active for thirty straight days throughout the month.
Kevin said: “The reason why Movember always did mustaches is it was a way to start a conversation, since not a lot of people have mustaches – and mustaches are still the main thing.
“I actually don’t really like to shave, I normally have a beard, but it’s fun seeing all the other mustaches on campus.
“It’s a good way of letting people know guys also get sick and we should be looking out for each other.”
Kevin added: “But this year started the MOVE initiative, which is helpful for girls who want to get involved, as well as just a way of promoting physical activity to fight against obesity and inactivity.”
This Movember, Kevin surpassed his goal by $250, raising a total of $650. He also recruited friends to participate along with him.
He said: “Probably seven or eight of my twelve roommates grew mustaches, and even my closer friends outside of that, just from me telling them about it.
“Sometimes someone will see that I have also have a mustache and they’ll say ‘Hey, my dad struggled with prostate cancer.’ It’s about building camaraderie and knowing that we are all in together.”
We asked Kevin what the funniest part of Movember has been, and he said: “I’m an intramural referee, and pretty much the entire basketball season is during the month of November. So I’m pretty sure there are some people who think I only have a mustache, so they call me the Mustache Ref.
“All-year round, people will be like, ‘Do you usually have a mustache?’
“And I’ll say ‘Yeah, in November.'”