Hairy fundraisers grow for a cause

In an effort to raise money to fight cancer these days, charitable people can ride a bike, run a marathon, swim a mile — or grow a mustache!

Members of the Long Island chapter of Mustaches For Kids, based in Long Beach, grew hair above their upper lips and raised $32,000 for kids at Sloan-Kettering, culminating in a “stashe bash” at the Tiki Bar in the West End on Dec. 12.

A month earlier about 50 members shaved and start growing their staches for the bash, a pageant style party in which growers compete for the titles of “Sweetest Stache,” “Most Inspired” (best costume), and “Top Fundraiser.”

The growers solicit donations from their friends, family, coworkers and anyone else whose eye they catch with the mustache. All donations are tallied, final donations are collected, and t-shirts and raffles were sold.

The fund helps families having trouble paying for the treatment their children receive at the hospital. Chapter organizers Billy Kupferman, James Bogdan, Vincent Leis, and Justin Fitzmartin chose Sloan-Kettering because many children with cancer from Long Island are, at some point, treated there. The group had the chance to visit the hospital in early December and was extremely impressed by not only the facility, but also by the caring environment created by the staff.

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