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'Stache for cash: Yahoo! workers raise funds
Quincy Yahoo! employees are bringing mustaches back into vogue this month.
Most of the data center’s male employees have agreed to grow upper lip hair in May as part of a charity fund-raiser called the Mustaches for Kids Challenge.
Yahoo! will donate $100 per employee if they complete the challenge. Another $100 will be given to any employee who is willing to shave his head on May 31 before he shaves his ‘stache.
At the end of May, the employees will hold a “Stache Bash,” a party where awards will be given for the best and worst-looking mustache.
Money raised will be given to the Pearly Whites Children’s Hospital Guild; a check will be presented to the guild at the party.
“Simply put, it’s bowling league meets walk-a-thon,” said Yahoo! manager of community relations Lisa Karstetter. “I’ve encouraged all the guys at Yahoo! to join in because it’s fun, and hey — it’s for the kids. That’s what I’m sure most of the guys are telling their wives.”
Karstetter got the idea for the challenge from a Yahoo! employee in Nebraska.
“They were trying to get the challenge going there, and he sent me the idea,” she said. “I said, ‘What if we did this?’ He said, ‘That’s a great idea.’ We’re all stepping up in different regions of the country and picking local charities to champion. The best part is right now, Quincy has the largest participation level — we’ve got 28 people signed up. That’s the vast majority of our employees. I’m impressed — our largest data center is on the East Coat and they only had 12 or 13 sign up. I’m proud of the way we stepped up for this.”
Karstetter said three Yahoo! employees have had recent dealings with the Children’s Hospital. The Pearly Whites guild is comprised of Quincy teenagers Kendall Horning, Natalie Thomsen, Chloe Ovenell and Pauline Cornu-Labat.
“We wanted to keep it local,” she said. “The girls have been great — they came out and gave a presentation and are sending inspirational e-mails to the guys, telling them to keep on going. They’re so glad we’re doing it.”
Of course, some men might bristle at the idea of growing a mustache, especially if they’ve become accustomed to a clean-shaven face for many years. But Karstetter said the employees are being good sports.
“It’s something they could embrace for participation,” she said. “It’s an easy thing to do that doesn’t require any time. Some of them are saying, ‘If it’s for the kids, it’ll be OK.’ It’s been a fun thing for team-building.”
Participating employees who already had facial hair were required to shave it off at the start of the month.
“Some guys haven’t shaved for years,” said Yahoo! employee Jason Thebault. “Now they’re clean-shaven and they’re not recognizable anymore.”
Karstetter said she’d like to see the challenge expand in the future.
“It would be fun to have a competition between the local data centers or other companies in the tech industry,” she said.
The females aren’t being left out, however.
“One gal said she’d shave her head, so one day I cut her hair off,” Karstetter said. “She’s really into it.”
And as for Karstetter?
“I’m not plucking my eyebrows all month, so I’m going with the uni-brow look,” she said. “It might not be pretty. It will be all thick and gross. The good news is the challenge only goes until the end of the month so I can get rid of the uni-brow in time for my son’s graduation."
