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GETTYSBURG, Pa. When the cool winds of winter start to blow across the Gettysburg College campus, at least one athletic team can find the warmth of added protection on their faces. The men’s lacrosse team has ditched their razors for the past month and has grown mustaches in an effort to raise funds to support the Headstrong Foundation and Lacrosse Mustache Madness.
Gettysburg has joined lacrosse teams from across the nation in the fundraising effort, which seeks to raise funds and awareness for families overcome by cancer. Since October 19, the players have been growing mustaches as a way to draw attention to the cause and spark conversations about how to help.
“I think it is a great chance for our guys be involved and take ownership of our community service on a national level,” said first-year Head Coach Peter Toner. “I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Nick’s House, and I was blown away by how great a cause this is, and how much of an impact that HEADstrong has for families dealing with the struggles of cancer. I hope it continues to provide our players with a great deal of perspective, and to know that their involvement can make a difference in somebody else’s life.”
Nick’s House is a part of the organization that involves providing housing to out-of-town cancer patients and their families traveling to the Philadelphia metropolitan area for treatments and services. It has provided more than 3,000 complimentary nights of amenities, lodging, and support annually.
Lacrosse Mustache Madness is in its 13th year and features thousands of lacrosse players across the country growing mustaches in honor of HEADstrong founder Nicholas Colleluori, an NCAA lacrosse player from Hofstra University who was terminally diagnosed with cancer in 2005. In the final weeks of his life, Colleluori grew a mustache to serve as a positive buffer and conversation starter which was also a way for him to feel “normal” again.
“It is important for our team to embrace this initiative and grow out our mustaches because of what these mustaches represent,” said junior midfielder Kyle Howard (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery). “I believe that most people know someone who has been directly affected by cancer and have seen how challenging their lives can be.”
While letting their facial hair flourish in the open air, Gettysburg’s student-athletes have been hard at work collecting donations. The team currently ranks ninth among all lacrosse programs with $14,461 raised, far surpassing its initial goal of $8,000. This money will provide housing, meals, financial assistance, and many other resources to cancer patients and their families.
Even after hitting their target goal, the laxers are far from done and plan on using the final week of the campaign to raise more money and help the HEADstrong Foundation reach its overall goal of $600,000 and continue to spread key messages. Currently, the organization has raised over $551,000.
“Our team’s initial goal was $8,000, but we have passed that by a big margin and our current goal is now $16,000,” said senior midfielder Kieran Ward (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep). “Our biggest goal was to share the message and cause of HEADstrong to as many people as we could. With over 60 players on our team, we have a large network of people we are connected to and it was a great opportunity to get the word out of a special cause to many people.”
Senior Tate Kienzle (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) and junior Declan Harrigan (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) have each raised over $1,000 to lead the Bullets. Lacrosse Mustache Madness concludes on November 28.
Lax Stache Madness is just one of the many community service efforts the lacrosse team has been involved with this fall. The team made donations to the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen, held a golf tournament to assist Sloan Kettering cancer research, and donated canned foods to support the Campus Kitchen Project Can-Struction. Participating in Lax Stache Madness continues to build on the developing team culture and gives players an opportunity to take part in something important for the greater good.
“As a team we embrace this initiative to bring attention to this amazing cause so that we can help to improve the lives of those affected by this horrible disease,” stated Howard. “Although some of us cannot beat genetics and grow a mustache that is not what is important. What is important to my team is that we understand why we grow these mustaches together and who we are helping during this fundraiser.”
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.