BY MARIELLE MANGANAAN
Student Union closed out the month of November with a gala night at The Marquee to celebrate the funds and awareness raised for the Movember movement.
Many participants and guests showed up wearing their best dresses, suits, and shoes to toast to the campaign over plates of delicious catered hors d’oeuvres and an open dance floor for everyone to dance the night away.
Enrique Ponce, executive vice-president for Hazel McCallion Campus Student Union and coordinator of the college’s Movember initiative, spent the last summer planning events and activities that would engage the student body in supporting men who are facing mental or physical health challenges.
“I am very passionate about the cause and have been raising funds for it for the past four years,” said Ponce.
“I’ve been in touch with someone at the Movember Foundation since the summer to make sure we would have some assistance in the swag department, and they’ve been a great support for us throughout the planning phase.”
During the last month, men and women participated in different ways: by making donations, growing moustaches and beards, or engaging in physical activity to show their support and raise awareness on men’s health, particularly prostate and testicular cancer.
“A lot of the time there is this perception that it’s just some silly thing that guys do, but it’s the center piece of starting a meaningful conversation about the cause of Movember.”
Since the movement’s inception in 2003, the Movember Foundation has partnered with other prostate cancer associations around the globe to speed up the process of focused research and make an impact on millions of people.
“A major initiative they took was the GAP (Global Action Plan), which takes 10 per cent of all proceeds every year and gives them to a dedicated team of researchers to pinpoint priorities within the realm of prostate cancer,” said Ponce.
According to Ponce, apart from the GAP, there are many other research projects that have a plan in terms of collaborating for the cause.
“Thanks to the initiative, there have been major improvements in the screening and detection process.”
Student Union crunched the numbers and announced that the Sheridan student body raised more than $3,000, excluding sales from the Movember menu items showcased across the campuses.
The grand prize for The Mo Gala is a limo trip to the ACC with VIP tickets to see the Raptors play. Team Sheridan Enactus, claimed the prize for raising more than $1,700.
“I’m really happy to see the support that we have gotten and the conversations that I’ve been having,” said Ponce.
“We are aware that this is a hectic month and students aren’t always receptive to these types of initiatives, but I think we’ve done a great job. I thank everyone for coming out and embracing what Movember is all about.”