November first marks the beginning of the Movember Campaign to raise awareness for men’s health. What started as a 30-day challenge made by 30 guys to grow a moustache has grown to a global movement of more than five million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas making an impact on men’s health.

All together, Movember has raised more than $710M and funded over 1,200 men’s health projects around the world. For Rhumbix co-founder and CEO Zach Scheel, Movember has special meaning.

Zach first participated in Movember nine years ago when he was stationed in Everett, WA with the Navy. At the time, he was working on a project building barracks that were dedicated to local sailor, Luke Milam. Luke, a Navy medic, was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. When Luke’s father was diagnosed with colon cancer just a few months after the barracks opened, Zach wanted to find a meaningful way to support Luke’s father and family as they walked through yet another trial.

He dedicated his first Movember to Luke and his family, and found that the simple act of growing a moustache became a great conversation starter for talking about men’s health. To hear Zach share the full story of his Movember participation, including launching a campaign in Africa, listen to this 12-minute interview with fellow Mo Bro and radio host at WGN Chicago, Nick Digilio.

Zach has lead teams that have raised over $250,000 in his nine years of participation, and had many opportunities to speak on men’s health issues. He’s also inspired the rest of us to get on board! Visit the Rhumbix team fundraising page to check out our campaign and help us reach our $3,000 fundraising goal.

You can also start your own Movember campaign by signing up with The Movember Foundation, and be sure to check back on our Facebook page for fundraising updates, plus before and after shots of our epic moustaches!