GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Every 'stache has a story, so says Dave Berger of Grand Forks.
During the month of November, or in this case, Movember, he grows out his mustache, all to help raise money for men's health issues. Berger wears many hats. He's president of the Grand Forks School Board, and the longtime frontman of the Downtown Horns , an iconic fixture of the Grand Forks music scene.
He's clean shaven 11 out of 12 months, but during November, pesky hairs on his upper lip remain unscathed and unshaved. "If I could get a few of my friends on board and my wife on board with me having a mustache for the course of a month, that I would try to raise some funds the following year," Berger says. He started in 2012, with a humble goal to raise $818.
He blew past that, beginning a tradition running more than a decade. Berger is now 'stached up in Movember, all to raise money and awareness for men's health issues, a subject he thinks men still struggle to be open about. "We live in a part of the country where we don't talk a lot about a lot of things, and one of the things we don't talk a lot about is our health.
Preventative care is the key issue, particularly for men, and we're talking about preventative care around testicular cancer, prostate cancer, our mental health," Berger said. In recent years, the talented musician has taken to Facebook live concerts on Mondays through the month as another way to raise funds. Since Berger started, he's raised more than $32,000 for the Movemb.
