Beards BeCAUSE

Hey everyone! I hope this finds you all in good spirits as we near my favorite part of the year: Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas! I get to dress goofy, eat til I'm goofy, then see my goofy family back home ;-D. I know I'm looking forward to all of the above! This is a lengthy post, but I think it'll be worth it to read to the end (or at least to the bolded text below :-P)

The reason for this post is to let you all know about what I'm doing during the next couple of months. I decided to help support a good cause and join Beards BeCAUSE this year. As their website states:
"Beards BeCAUSE is a two month fundraising campaign that raises awareness for domestic violence and supports the United Family Services Shelter for Battered Women in Charlotte, North Carolina. It involves a group of volunteer men and women working together to raise donations in a variety of categories from beard growers, men with existing beards, and those who cannot grow beards at all. It is our hope that our efforts will help wipe out domestic violence."

The kickoff party for Beards BeCAUSE was two weeks ago, at which point I shaved off my beard (all 'growers', as they call us, had to be clean shaven on the night of the kickoff party). In show of my support for the cause, I won't be shaving for 2 months, until December 5th to be exact. During this time, I will be raising money for the shelter via donations. I will also be scratching my face off as the first month or so of growing a beard involves lots of itchiness. Good times indeed :-D

If you are able, we would love your donations for the cause. You can donate online using the link below, or you can get me a check as well, just shoot me an email and I'll get you my info.

But for those of you that know me well, you know that I like spicing things up every now and then. And when it comes to raising money, I'll do a lot of interesting (for lack of a better word...) things. So here's my twist:

If you all help me raise over $2500, I will shave my head.

For those good with math: Donations>$2500=(-Hair)
Or those who write computer programs: If Donations>$2500, Then I go bald.

Any way you put it, if you raise the bread, you'll see my head. Bare, that is. Though the beard stays.

I'm doing this for two reasons. One, anything I can do to raise a little extra money is worth it. And two, I don't think I can raise that much money. That's not to say I won't try, I'll be asking everyone I know to donate. And I encourage you to send this to people you know as well, make a game of it. But I do like my hair ;-)

If, by chance, I am able to raise over $2500, I will have a party for the head shaving. You will all be invited. And for those that are not in the Charlotte area, I will make sure to have my friends take lots of photos and videos, and will post them online for all to see. Simply get me your email address when you donate and I'll send you the link if it happens. If it happens. I'll keep track of my activity here on my blog, I'll post photos weekly to show the progress of my beard, and I'll try to keep you up to date with money totals. You can also track my progress online at the Beards BeCAUSE website (www.beardsbecause.com) on the 'Participants' page. My name is approx. 1/2 of the way down the page. That's also where you'll see the link to donate online with my name as a reference.

Alright, I thank you all in advance for whatever donation you are able to give. Also, donations are all tax deductible. And if you can't donate right now, remember, you've got all the way through November to donate, or if you'd like to volunteer at the shelter you can click the link below to get you to their website. All of the pertinent information will be listed below for you. I hope you're all having a great day, and I'll talk to you all later :-D

Thanks again,
Jeremy Kuster

PS: Feel free to send this on to anyone you think might be willing to help out :-D Thanks again!

To donate to Beards BeCAUSE under my name, go to the Participants page on their website here, then scroll about 1/2 of the way down and find my name. On the right side of the screen across from my name you'll see the 'Donate Now' link. Click that and it will take you to a PayPal site where you can donate under my name. Make sure the reference name is Jeremy Kuster under Beards BeCAUSE on the PayPal site. You can also send cash or a check to me made out to United Family Services, put Beards BeCAUSE in the note line, as well as my name.

Beards BeCAUSE website

United Family Services website