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Thanksgiving is a time where we all take a step back and give thanks for things that we may have taken for granted. One thing that I am thankful that I know you are thankful for is this glorious mustache that I have been growing for Movember.

While it is easy to note the awesome comedy that the ‘stache offers to you, one thing you probably don’t know is that it is fighting cancer. So donating a few dollars or cents will help you not only get a belly chuckle, but also raise funds for research for testicular and prostate cancers.

So when you are giving thanks on Thursday afternoon, please consider visiting http://mobro.co/jeffespo to make a tax-deductible donation.

Thanks in advance for the support.

If you want to see some full mustached tomfoolery, check out the Team Boston slideshow below:

What is Movember you ask?

So what does this mean to you?

Well for starters I know that you don’t like cancer and want to help me fight it. To do that, you can either join #TeamBos if you are in the Boston area or head over to http://bitly.com/MoEspo to donate to my moustache growing and see how awesome (read ridiculous) I look. Right now I am looking for the

Now I know that may not seem like much fun, so I will help make it more worthwhile for you.

• If you donate $5 I will mail you a sweet Movember pin and sticker
• If you donate $10 I will mail you a sweet Movember LiveStrong-style bracelet, sticker and pin
• If you donate $25 I will give you those and a hug
• If you donate $50 I will do all that and buy you a burrito at Boloco on any day up to December 5
• If you donate $100 I’ll buy you a case of booze and a cigar (must be 21)
• If you donate $500 I will let you choose my mustache style and will grow it until I can meet the style

What do you say? Let’s stop testicular and prostate cancer together.

The result of this team-up is a two-day telethon to benefit the Jimmy Fund, a charity founded in 1948 supporting the fight against cancer in children and adults. While the simple mention of the word telethon conjures up memories of late night reruns and cheesey old men in corduroy suits, this one is for a charity that actually gets it. You’d think that with their partnership with these media giants and the Sox, they would be focused on big donors to hit their $5 million goal (2009 goal)  – and be dead wrong. Earlier in the year, I wrote about a letter that I received from the Jimmy Fund, a hand written on none the less, thanking me for my annual contribution. That is a little personal touch that had me eager to resign my pledge for 2009-10, because they made the personal connection.

Cancer is something that none of us ever want to be diagnosed with. However hearing the kids’ stories pull (here, here & here) at the heart strings a little more. Every dollar counts and it goes a long way to finding a cure and making these kids lives a little less tough. All donations are tax deductible, wouldn’t it be nice to help raise $5 million for cancer research despite this down economy?

CLICK HERE to make a donation.

One of the interesting stories that I saw in the piece was Jon Lester. Initially, I thought that it was just another simple ad campaign, until I read this story at Fanhouse:

When Jon Lester takes the mound Friday evening in Boston, he’ll not only carry with him his 7-6 record, he’ll also carry a yellow baseball glove to raise awareness for cancer; a disease that knocked Lester down, but not out of baseball three years ago.

Friday will mark Lester’s involvement with Nike and Livestrong to help “raise awareness, fund research and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors face.” Lester will wear his yellow glove for every start at Fenway Park in July.

Pretty cool if you ask me, so without further adieu, here’s the commercial

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX1dboWZ1yk]

On the surface, the note might seem like any other piece of mail, however it was from the Jimmy Fund. The letter, written by a Kim, thanked me for contribution that I made to the charity’s fund raising campaign last year in conjunction with the Red Sox radio telethon.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N65jbWLjUSs]

They didn’t need to send this letter and I definitely was not expecting it, but really appreciated it. When you give money to a charity, you usually contribute to something that you feel a strong tie to, and everything ends with the financial transaction. Since making a recurring donation last July, I have received a number of newsletters and letter from the Jimmy Fund & Dana Faber, which to me shows that they appreciate the donations, regardless of monetary contribution, this personal touch makes it even easier to renew the donation in the coming months.

If you were wondering who/what the Jimmy Fund is, here’s a little information:

Since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has supported the fight against cancer in children and adults at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.

For more info, click here.