EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
More than a hundred Deaconess employees are getting "cleaned up" today after growing some scruffy beards this month for "No Shave November."
It was pretty entertaining to see some, lets call them "unruly" beards they've been grooming for the past month. But those employees participating in the "no shave campaign" said taking on the "lumberjack" look was worth it in order to bring awareness to prostate cancer.
Razors ready, and off they went. Men shaving off the facial they had carefully groomed for the last 30 days. But were they ready to say goodbye?
"Definitely, it's been a long thirty days," said Ryan Baker, Deaconess.
Ryan Baker works in Clinical Informatics at Deaconess. He says he had a little fun with his beard, transforming into Hulk Hogan, to get the conversation started.
Ninety men posted pictures of their beards online to track their "growth".
The Marketing Department at Deaconess voted on the manliest and most dramatic beards.
Deaconess Security Officer Ray Hitchcox was after the "nice try" award.
"I probably have just as best shot as anybody else with anything, I mean with one, two or three hairs that I've got. I think I might have an opportunity," said Ray Hitchcox, Deaconess Security.
But John Bickel participated because the cause is particularly important to him. He is a prostate cancer survivor.
"it's been an experience to say the least, it brings people closer together," said Bickel.
John says it's was the support of his family, friends and colleagues at Deaconess that have helped him approach the anniversary of his surgery in December.
"Once they decided to have the no shave November, I decided it was a good way to not only grow the beard out, but to grow awareness of men's cancers," said Bickel.
John says when people asked him about the scruff it gave him the opportunity to encourage them to get the screening.
"it's just a little blood stick and you're done, and if you do that you do it for your family and you'll feel so much better afterwards," said Bickel.
Throughout the month Deaconess partnered with "Coaches vs Cancer" to raise $15,000 for 3 different local cancer charities.
If you'd like to see the beards and even a time lapse video from one employee click here.
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Dr. Douglas H sporting the lumberjack look.
