It’s that time of year again: November. Guys and girls put down their razors for no shave November. Although no shave November is a well-known and popular event, most people may not realize that the event is to help bring awareness for cancer.

“It’s not really for anything. I did it last year with my dad and you just don’t shave for all of November.” senior Coleman Howard said. “I don’t think it’s bringing much awareness because I didn’t even know what it was for,” Pre calculus teacher Matthew Kiser says. Though many guys don’t shave during November, they don’t really know it’s to help raise awareness “I honestly don’t think [No Shave November is bringing awareness] because no one really knows what it is. I didn’t even know it was to raise awareness for cancer,” freshman Jack Snyder agrees.

Most guys use No Shave November as their excuse to not shave for a whole month, but when they do know what it’s really for, they decide to dedicate their beard to someone whose lives were affected by cancer.

“My aunt Chris just passed away about two or three months ago, I’ll do it in her honor,” junior Jake Freeman said.

Four out of the four male students that were interviewed agreed that keeping a beard all month can be a hassle. “It makes me mad when I’m eating ice cream sometimes,” senior Jake Guenther “As far as being annoying, it does bother me a little bit, but I like it enough to keep it”.

According to Cancer.org, the estimated total of people who had cancer on January 1, 2014 in the United States was more than 14,483,830 people. The main threat for men is prostate cancer and 43% of males were said to have survived this on the first of January. For women, the main cancer is breast cancer. A slightly lower number of women survived breast cancer by that day, with a number of 41%.

There are lots of ways students try to raise awareness for cancer, No Shave November is one event that doesn’t get the full meaning across, but so many guys get involved. The more the true meaning spreads, the quicker cancer stops.

No-shave.org is the official no shave November website and is helping spread the true meaning of what no shave November is all about. If you are interested in helping put a stop to cancer, use the #LETITGROW to spread the word.