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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe smallest gift we give is about $5,000, and the largest has been $40,000,\u201d said Boswell. \u201cOur donation amount depends upon the current needs of the organization, along with the amount of participation we have from our month-long initiative. Because M4K has no overhead, 100% of the money that we raise stays local and goes toward children\u2019s charities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wannabe growers register on the M4K website and pay a small fee of $25, which covers the cost of their \u201cmerch\u201d worn to declare their participation. The growing season kicks off on the first Wednesday of November, and growers can register in person at a cost of $30. Everyone is provided a webpage on the chapter\u2019s website, which allows donors to directly support their favorite grower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou either come with a shaved face, or we shave it off for you,\u201d said Boswell. \u201cEveryone starts from scratch on day one.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the 30-day initiative, growers meet up each week to vote for the one who has the \u201cbest creepy mustache\u201d or the \u201cbest rookie mustache.\u201d On the first Friday in December, it all comes to an end; donations are calculated, and growers attend a mustache-themed costume party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the \u2018Stache Bash,\u2019 we give out the Goose Award, the David Garrett Award for best costume, the Gosling Award for best rookie fundraiser of the year, and the Doug Leech Award for the worst stache. It\u2019s so humbling that such a funky, weird idea has taken hold the way it has, and the beneficiary of all of this is the children who are helped by it. We\u2019re having fun, and at the same time, we\u2019re making a huge impact here in Lynchburg.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boswell continued. \u201cWhen we started M4K, we thought there were 15 charities that could use help, but discovered there are about 100. We know that we\u2019re making a difference, and we\u2019re bringing awareness to the needs of children in our community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each year, M4K America publicly recognizes the top 11 growers who raked in the highest donations. Boswell was the top national winner in 2023, and Watt Foster, also from Lynchburg, was the national winner in 2021 and 2022. Boswell, who works full time as a comprehensive financial planner, raised close to $43,000 for M4K in 2023, and over the span of 11 years, has raised more than $200,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In November 2024, 300 growers shaved their faces and embarked on another year of fundraising. This time, they set the bar higher at $600,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhether we\u2019re funding reading programs, athletic programs, or scholarships \u2014 we\u2019re proud to support nonprofits that serve thousands of kids in the Lynchburg area.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some people credit two Australians with reigniting the \u201cmoustache\u201d trend in 2003 to help raise awareness of men\u2019s health during the month of \u201cMovember.\u201d Here in America, we credit the Hill family in Chicago with coining the phrase \u201cNo- Shave November.\u201d After they lost their father, Matthew Hill, to colon cancer in 2007, they wanted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":22898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lynchburg-va\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/01\/Chris-1-1024x769.jpg\")
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