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Baltimore is at it again. Last night, gentlemen across the city gathered at The Reserve to shave their faces clean and start growing Mustaches for Baltimore Kids.

One of the reasons why we love Baltimore so much is because they seem to get more excited than any other city about their Mustaches for Kids “Growing Season”.

Check out Liz Bowie’s article in the Baltimore Sun.

And, check out this amazing email below from our Mustache hero, Dr. Andres Alonso, the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. He is absolutely the best:

From: Andres A. Alonso, Ed.D [mailto:Partners@bcps.k12.md.us]
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 5:44 PM
Subject: Mustaches for Kids

November 17, 2009

Dear City Schools Partners and Friends,

Sometimes, someone has an idea so simple, so full of goodness and common sense that you just have to stop and wonder, “How did somebody not think of it before?”

One such idea, which I first learned about last year from Bob Heck, a member of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, is the spark of genius of the great organization, DonorsChoose.org.

We know that our teachers have extraordinary creativity, and that the discretionary funds they receive for classroom projects don’t begin to do that creativity justice. So DonorsChoose.org had the idea to bring together worthy projects proposed by teachers—incredibly creative and unique—and the contributions of the general public—both great and small. Then DonorsChoose.org had another bright idea: to combine this pairing of projects and donors with a Mustaches for Kids (M4K) Challenge, in which “growers” from across the United States and Canada grow mustaches to raise money for kids.

So last year, City Schools teachers and I participated in the M4K challenge and collectively raised $24,500 from 310 sponsors for classroom projects requested by our teachers through Donorschoose.org. We ranked 5th out of 30-plus participating cities—behind Chicago ($29,356), Charlotte ($64,843), San Francisco ($78,389) and New York ($80,901). This year I’d like us to do even better. Yes, of course I’d like to beat New York. But more importantly, I’d really like to see us raise more money for our kids.

So this evening I am going home to shave and for the second straight year I will be briefly sporting my naturally handsome and youthful, clean-shaven face. Be assured, the real me will be back before winter sets in. But right now, the City Schools teachers who are joining me in this challenge and I need your help. Please sponsor my mustache—or, if you absolutely must, the mustache of a fellow City Schools grower—and fund a classroom project requested by a City Schools teacher through DonorsChoose.org.

Click here, and then click the name of your favorite grower. This takes you to a page where you can choose from a list of projects needing sponsors, and all you need to do is choose one and make a donation. DonorsChoose.org takes care of the rest. It sends your money to the project you choose, it keeps tally of how much we as a school system raise overall, and it tracks how we rank among the competition. And because this allows us to raise money from across the country for Baltimore City’s classrooms, I urge you to share this message with all of your colleagues, family and friends.

Between now and mid-December a number of members of the City Schools family and I will be coaxing and preening our whiskers to raise money for classroom projects across the city, and we want you in on the fun! Watch our stubble grow, and yes, teasing is fair game—as long as you give…

Thank you. And thank you for all you do to support our kids and our schools.

Sincerely,
Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D.
CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools

Mailing Address:
Baltimore City Public Schools
200 East North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21202
US

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