We’re halfway through November and so far, you’ve raised more than $650,000 for cancer research and early detection! To keep the momentum going, we wanted to look back and remember how this tradition all began.
Matthew Hill pictured with his eight children.
In 2007 the Hill family lost their father, Matthew Hill, after a yearlong battle with colorectal cancer. Matthew, a loving husband and father of eight, was described by one of his children as “an amazing guy—the kind of role model that everyone hopes to have.”
To do something special in their father’s memory, the Hill siblings asked friends and family to stop shaving for the month and donate what they typically spent on grooming to support cancer research.
“A lot of cancer patients undergo chemo and they lose hair,” says Christine Hill. “So we grow our hair for those that are losing it.”
Getting hairy in the month of November, they found, also gets people talking. As people started growing out their hair, it became a powerful conversation starter to talk to others about how to reduce cancer risk and fund important prevention and early detection research.
What started as a fundraiser among friends of the Hill family has since grown into an international movement with participants around the globe. In 2009, No-Shave November started with 50 Facebook followers. Today, the organization has nearly 300,000 followers and has raised millions for cancer research and prevention.
Last year’s No-Shave fundraising efforts have made a big impact for patients across the nation.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is proud to be part of the international phenomenon celebrating Matthew Hill’s legacy and loving family. Funds raised from No-Shave November support cancer prevention and early detection programs.
Impact at a glance
Just some examples of what last year’s No-Shave fundraising enabled us to accomplish:
- 538 men and women screened for lung cancer in Michigan.
- 5,650 Pap tests, 2,169 HPV tests, and 613 HPV vaccines provided to low-income women in 21 health centers in Milwaukee, WI.
- 1,250 individuals were screened for hepatitis B and 1,075 people were tested for hepatitis C at 15 free hepatitis screening events in the Los Angeles area. 3,150 community members were educated about liver cancer and chronic hepatitis.
- Continued partnership to provide іCelebremos la Vida! (Let’s Celebrate Life!), a program providing free breast and cervical cancer screenings to underserved or uninsured Hispanic women in Washington, D.C. and McHenry County, Illinois, regardless of their residency, immigration status or ability to pay.
- And so much more.
There’s still time to get involved and be part of this impactful community! Sign up or donate to No-Shave November today to Stop Cancer Before It Starts!®
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