If you noticed a slew of upper-lip sprinklings during the first week of November, you weren't alone.  By week two, you may have suspected something more ambitious, if not slovenly, was taking place, as the once nearly imperceptible specks of whiskers on co-workers and perfect strangers began to sprout.  By the end of week three there was no denying it - the stache was back - and Movember was in full swing. 

Participating in Movember is simple - you start on November 1st clean shaven, and for the next 30 days you grow a moustache, all the while raising awareness and funds for the fight against prostate cancer.

The idea was hatched in Australia in 2003, and went public the next year, raising $55,000 for the country's Prostate Cancer Foundation.   Since then, it's gone worldwide, and in 2009 over one million donors raised a remarkable $47 million.

From that total, almost $8 million was raised for Prostate Cancer Canada, and with even more participants this year, those numbers could very well be eclipsed.

CityNews reporter Mark Dailey, who is a prostate cancer survivor and sits on the Prostate Cancer Canada Board, was quick to note how successful the fund-raising campaign has been over the years.  

"This program started in Australia and we thought it was a great idea and we basically joined with them and bought the rights to run the campaign here and it has raised millions of dollars beyond our wildest dreams last year, and this year looks like it's going to be a record breaking year for fund-raising as well," he said.  "It's just been crazy.  We raise more money with this 30-day effortless promotion than some of the big events and things that we've run, it's been astounding."

Dailey, who recently revealed he was battling kidney cancer, has even seen noted medical experts sporting staches during his latest treatments.  

"When I was in the hospital recently a bunch of doctors, urologists, were having a Movember competition within Sunnybrook hospital as well, so it's amazing  what's happened with the awareness...it's just millions and millions of dollars that's going to be coming out of this."

All funds raised through Movember’s Canadian campaign go directly to Prostate Cancer Canada, so next time you see a stache, reach for some cash and help fight a disease that will hit 1 in 6 Canadian men in their lifetimes.  

A few Movember faces:

Alun O'Brien

DONATE TO ALUN O'BRIEN

Nathan Stein

DONATE TO NATHAN STEIN

Giordano Ciampini

DONATE TO GIORDANO CIAMPINI

Michael Chuddy (on his lack of progress growing a stache: "You work with what you have!"

DONATE TO MICHAEL CHUDY (c/o James Taylor and team ADEN EARTHWORKS)

Yours Truly, Michael Talbot

DONATE TO MICHAEL TALBOT