99.9 The Fan’s Joe Ovies: The ‘before’ photo for JOEvember 2019.
99.9 The Fan Sports Talk Host Joe Ovies is changing his face for the month of November. The past few years Ovies has participated in Movember to bring attention to men’s health issues. JOEvember 2019 is well underway.
Sponsors including The Guy’s Place and Cloos Coney Island are pitching in for this fun way to raise some money for Movember.
Ovies explained, “The group thinks growing out a mustache is a good way to get people talking about men’s health. Essentially ‘What’s up with the mustache?’ And that’ll lead to a conversation about preventative health screenings, etc.”
Movember is a nonprofit seeking to address and bring attention to men’s health, with the main focus “to stop men dying young.” Their goal? By the end of 2030, the organization will reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%.
“Movember specifically mentions prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention,” said Ovies. “Personally, I have people in my life who struggle with anxiety and depression. Folks are usually reluctant to talk about these things for obvious reasons, but it’s important to remind them it’s OK to talk about it and seek help.”
He continued, “Additionally, there are countless stories where men have gone to the doctor to get something checked out ‘just in time.’ Thankfully some friends of mine got their cancer screening with enough time to treat it, but not everyone can be so lucky. So, it’s important to drill that concept into people that regular health checkups are important and not anything to put off.”
For the 2019 edition of JOEvember, Ovies is adjusting his goal.
99.9 The Fan’s Joe Ovies (left) on Day 6 of JOEvember 2019.
“I’m looking for a minimum of $500 before I shave down to the mustache,” he said. “If I’m going to look ridiculous around the radio station or on Western Blvd (CBC’s headquarters), I want it to be worth it.”
Keep track of Ovies’ progress and make a donation:
Thanks to 99.9 The Fan for these capcom photos.
