With lots and lots of help, 826michigan’s 2009 Mustache-A-Thon crested the $10,000 mark and is still charging ahead! In the end, thirty-five mustache growers grew their very best mustaches: walruses, pencil-style, handlebar and beyond. Their combined efforts have so far raised $10,742 to support 826michigan! The stacheblog remains open for perusing your favorite mustache (and supporting it with a contribution) until Monday, April 13. Before we totally wrap this thing up, we have a few very important people to thank:
- Mr. Josh Cohen. Last year, he showed up on the first Mustache Night without any knowledge of 826. I believe he was lured by the beer and the spirit of competition. He departed with a hideous trophy, a scraggly mustache, and the title of Most Lucrative Stache. He earned $1600 in 2008, and he has almost matched that this year. He is also the 2009 Most Lucrative Stache winner and has announced his retirement. Josh, you and your $3000 mustache will never be forgotten!
- Angi Stevens. We saw her there every night, taking beautiful headshots of all the growers. We didn’t see her toiling away at her laptop, uploading pictures and futzing with html and paypal every night late into the morning hours. She has shown a unique dedication to mustache photography and her efforts are irreplaceable! Thank you, Angi!
- Erika Manczak. She was the first-ever Mustache Coordinator Extraordinaire and her help with every little detail really made the a-thon possible. Did you check out the stache-sash that each of the winners received last night? And the jewel-encrusted crowns? Thanks, Erika!
- Jason DePasquale, Chris Hiltz, Tyler Brubaker, Piet Kleymeer, Marian Short, and all of the LSRS&R volunteers who helped make our Mustache-o-Meter window. It may seem simple to launch a robot in a runner’s pose, erect hurdles and make a yarn mustache showing our fundraising progress, but it’s NOT. And the double-takes from passers-by provided hours of entertainment to our store staff.
- Yelp and Arbor Brewing Company! Our sponsors helped us spread the word and provided free gifts to our hard-working mustache farmers from pints of refreshing beer to yelpstick, we couldn’t have done this without them.
- The Growers! We had a record number of guys growing mustaches this year. At first it seemed unwieldy. How could we tend to the care, feeding and fundraising needs of almost 40 dudes? Would they get along? Would so many mustaches in one room be overwhelming? In fact, this diverse group of growers found hundreds of ways to spread the word about 826 and to ask for support from their friends and family. In our $10,742 so far, we’ve received 320 donations!
