#Movember Day 27: This note from Australian Mo Sista @chachiconnell boosted my spirits!
Day 26 and 27: Sick days!! My moustache and I had a vicious stomach flu. I suspect I caught it from having people (including germy toddlers) touch my moustache. Ewwww! We were so sick!
Day 25: My moustache and I took a rest day to hang out at Lil’ Bean n’ Green with my son and our friends. I indulged in another delicious Mo Latte.
Day 24: Oysters, moustaches and Mo Sistas at Starfish
My evening ‘stache was sponsored by Patrick McMurray (@ShuckerPaddy) and Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill (@StarfishOyster).
Starfish (www.starfishoysterbed.com) is an intimate and relaxed oyster bar and restaurant brought to you by World Oyster Shucking Champion and Guinness World Record Holder Patrick McMurray. Patrick also owns the Ceili Cottage in Leslieville that sponsored my third day of Mo. Thank you for all your ‘30 Days of Mo’ Movember support.
Patrick invited some Mo Sistas to Starfish for an evening of oysters, moustaches and wine. The amazing Laura Berg (@mysmarthands), Jennifer Dawson (@bigdealdawson) and Jenna Jacobson (@jacobsonjenna) joined me. We sat at the bar, where we got to watch Patrick shuck oysters and we chatted with other patrons. Patrick treated us to a range of oysters. Starfish has one of the best selections of oysters in Toronto.
We took the opportunity to tell everyone about Movember, the programs it funds, and the role of Mo Sistas. We were quite the hit in our matching pink moustaches.
Patrick rang the bell and announced why the Mo Sistas were visiting Starfish and about our 2013 calendar (available at mosistas.ca). He then offered 12 free oysters and a shucking lesson to anyone who donated $50 to my campaign. Woot! The cash started rolling in. What a great night!
We also met Judith. Her friend was going in for prostate cancer surgery the next week. She said he’d be thrilled and inspired to learn about what we were doing to support men’s health. We gave her a moustache and made her an honorary Mo Sista.
Thank you for a great night, Patrick and Starfish! I should mention Patrick is also a Mo Bro and holds a Movember Wax-off fundraiser every year at the Ceili Cottage. Thank you for being such a passionate Movember supporter!
Day 24: My ‘stache of the day was sponsored by the Lil’ Bean n’ Green Cafe and Play (www.lilbeanandgreen.com) in Leslieville.
The owners, April and Meray, have been friends with my son and I since they opened in fall 2009. We have spent many hours at the cafe playing and chatting with our friends and their staff. They hosted a Movember fundraiser for me in 2011 as well.
This year, they donated a portion of the sales of their Mo Lattes to my campaign. Meray Mansour, local Leslieville realtor for Keller Williams, also generously donated another $100 to my campaign.
Thank you to LBG’s April, Meray and Alexis for your support of Movember and my ‘30 Days of Mo’ campaign.
Day 23: I spent the evening getting Mo Manicures with Mo Sista Debbie Horovitch (@Sparkle_Agency). Debbie generously donated to my Movember campaign and discounted her social media concierge services to raise money for Movember. Thank you for being a great Mo Sista, Debbie! I hear Debbie is considering a ‘30 Days of Mo’ moustache for next year!
To learn more about Debbie’s social media consulting and concierge services, check out thesparkleagency.com
Day 23: Hanging out at the ING Direct Cafe with the MOward Bankers
The ‘stache of the day was generously sponsored by ING Direct (@SuperStarSaver). Not only did ING Direct support Movember by donating to my ‘30 Days of Mo’ campaign, but they have their own 51-person team called the ‘MOward Bankers,’ that raised more than $6500 for Movember!
I had the pleasure of meeting some of them at the ING Direct Cafe (@OrangeYYZ) in downtown Toronto, which is a great space to learn more about ING’s products, to get a coffee and baked goods, and to get some work done. The top floor of the cafe is a co-working space and there is free wi-fi.
Mo Bros Jonathan Glover and Kevin Bradbury joined us remotely from Calgary. The MoWard Bankers is a true cross-country Movember team.
The highlight of my visit was receiving my very own Orange Scarf. My Orange Scarf came with a very kind, personalized note from ING headquarters. ING produces only 365 orange scarves each year to give to enthusiastic ambassadors and community leaders. Follow the #OrangeScarf on Tumblr at http://superstarsaver.tumblr.com/
Thank you Jaime Stein and Erik Sherman for this great honour! I will wear my Orange Scarf with pride.
This was Jaime Stein’s first year as a Mo Bro. I’m so proud he reached platinum status by raising more than $1200! He also grew a mighty fine ‘stache!
Thank you to ING Direct’s MoWard Bankers for being such an enthusiastic, passionate Movember team, and for taking the time to meet me and support my ‘30 Days of Mo’ Movember campaign.
Day 22: My ‘stache of the day was generously sponsored by Diana Nazareth (@diananazareth) of Diana Nazareth Photography (www.diananazareth.com).
I met Diana at the Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto event. She wanted to find a way to support me, so she both made a donation to Movember and offered to take photos of my son and I in our own ‘Movember and Sons’ photo shoot.
Diana takes beautiful photos of a families in a casual, relaxed settings that allow her to capture the real spirit and dynamic of family life.
For us, we went to one of our favourite local Leslieville parks, where my son Owen loves to play in the sandbox, ride in swings, and run around in the open space. Next, we went to our favourite ice cream shop, Ed’s the Real Scoop, where Diana captured us enjoying an ice cream date.
Thank you, Diana, for your beautiful photos and for your Movember support! I will treasure these photos forever! If you have a chance, ‘like’ her Facebook page at Facebook.com/diananazarethphotography
Day 19: My moustache tried to convince me to stop in at Hooters for some chicken wings. Forget it, moustache!
Day 21: My Mo gets energized learning about solar energy
For day 21, my ‘stache was sponsored by Solsmart Energy Solutions (www.solsmart.com) - Toronto’s Leading Solar Energy Installers. I spent the day with the company’s owner and founder Blair Beesley learning about solar energy.
First, we checked out Solsmart’s office in Leslieville (at Dundas and Carlaw). They showed me how they use online mapping tools (like Google Maps) to prepare initial quotes for customers about the viability and cost of solar panels for their homes.
I found out my flat roof house would be a good prospect for a small solar panel installation.
The most interesting thing I learned is that having solar panels installed on your property is both a good energy alternative and a good investment. I didn’t realize that the hydro company pays you more for the solar energy you produce than for the traditional electrical energy you consume. After your initial investment payback period for the installation, you can make an income off the energy you produce.
Here is some more info from the David Suzuki Foundation :
“Ontario, which receives more sunlight than leading solar installers like Germany and Japan, has emerged as a North American leader in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Solar PV panels capture the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity. This solar renaissance has been brought about through the implementation of Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT), a program that allows energy producers to sell electricity back to the grid. This program has also made solar viable for many homeowners, farmers and community groups that can now recover the cost of buying the panels or generate income by leasing their roof-space to a solar installation. Nearly 12,000 Ontarians have started participating since the program began.”
Blair took me to visit a few Solsmart installation sites.
The first site was a multi-unit rental property in East York.
The second was Ed’s the Real Scoop in the Beach.
The third was a large solar panel installation on a city-owned apartment complex in the Beach.
The fourth was a large solar panel installation in Scarborough. At this site, the panels are rotated towards the sun based on GPS.
Our last stop was the GM Centre in Oshawa - home to the Oshawa Generals. It was day one of the project. This centre’s flat roof is the perfect site for a field of solar panels. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s done. I can certainly see why Solsmart is Toronto’s leading solar panel installer.
Can you believe my moustache and I climbed up this set of stairs to get to the roof? I was terrified. It’s funny…wearing a moustache in public for 30 days doesn’t scare me, but climbing a rickety set of stairs does!..
Thank you, Blair, for teaching me about solar energy and for your Movember ‘30 Days of Mo’ support! As soon as I have some extra cash, I’m getting some solar panels installed on my flat roof.
Day 20: Learning about ‘30 Days of Gratitude’
My evening ‘stache was sponsored by Bonnie Chan (@networktogrow) and Send Out Cards (www.sendoutcards.com). I met Bonnie the week before at her meeting of the Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto. She was kind enough to invite me to her Send Out Cards meeting to help me connect with other possible Movember sponsors and to teach me about the ‘30 Days of Gratitude’ Challenge.
The ‘30 Days of Gratitude’ challenge involves sending a card each day for 30 days to someone to let them know you are grateful for something they’ve done or that you care about them. I like to think of it as ‘30 Days of Mo’ but with greeting cards instead of moustaches. ;{)
I first learned about Send Out Cards’ ‘30 Days of Gratitude’ challenge last June. At the time, I wish I had used Send Out Cards to thank my 2011 Movember sponsors.
I received my first Send Out Card this fall…and I was overwhelmed by it. My friend Steve Welton did an amazing job. It is one of the best cards I have ever received!
Send Out Cards makes it so easy to send cards. Everything is done online from the comfort of your own home. With just the click of a button, you can choose your custom card, add a personal photo, write your message and click send. They print, stuff, stamp and mail the physical card for you.
This is perfect for someone like me…who buys cards but never ends up sending them. You can customize the cards with your own pictures and even moustaches!!
Bonnie very generously offered to provide me with 30 cards to help me thank my Movember sponsors. I can’t wait to fill my December with gratitude for all my amazing supporters.
Thank you for your Movember and ‘30 Days of Mo’ support, Bonnie!
Day 20: Heading to Brantford for Tweetstock High!
My ‘stache of the day was sponsored by Tweetstock High (@tweetstockCA, www.tweetstock.ca) and its founder/organizer Trevor Cherweka (@trevor_cherewka), who is also the designer/printer of the Mo Sistas 2013 calendar (www.mosistas.ca).
Tweetstock is a social media conference that happens each spring and fall in Brantford, Ontario. I’ve been to a couple Tweetstocks since I started on Twitter in 2011, and it’s always a great time.
According to the Tweetstock website, it is a “‘learn how to get’er done and have some fun’ kinda Social Media conference! At Tweetstock we don’t do sales pitches and we don’t do highfalutin strategic mumbo-jumbo either. We deliver the real goods on how to actually start and grow your business online, regardless of what ‘business’ means to you, and we do it all in style.”
I, unfortunately, arrived late to Brantford and I missed Kevin Magee’s (@kevinamagee) panel on Social Media for Non-Profits. He kindly gave me and the MoSistasTO a shout out during his presentation. Thank you, Kevin.
I did have the opportunity to see a great presentation by Jason Dykstra (@jasondyk) on Managing Online Conflict. Jason is a professional mediator.
I had the pleasure of sitting with Jacki (@jackiyo) - a Mo Sista from Kitchener - during the session. This moustache makes me look extra creepy!
I also ran into one of my favourite Tumblr bloggers and Mo Bros, Taylor Jones (@TJ), from @DearPhotograph.
I was impressed by the amazing turnout for the closing keynote session of the day by John Michael Morgan (@johnmorgan) - “the Chuck Norris of Branding.” He had some great tips on the do’s and don’ts of social media for your business.
Thank you to Trevor, Kevin and the Tweetstock team for a great day and your Movember support! Can’t wait to attend the next Tweetstock in spring 2013.
