Campaign to expand No Shave November to top $1 million

A partnership that expands on No Shave November hopes to raise more than $1 million for prostate cancer and men’s health. 

Penn State Health and Mid Penn Bank announced the partnership and the bank’s commitment to lead a campaign over the next four years that will bring their fundraising total since 2020 to $1.1 million for prostate cancer and men’s health at an event at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Wednesday. 

The organizations said the effort is an expansion of their No Shave November partnership. Each November since 2016, participants from both organizations have ditched their razors and grown their facial hair with the goal of raising cancer awareness and starting conversations about prostate health. 

“We’re proud to deepen our long-time partnership with Penn State Health and the College of Medicine and contribute to our shared goal of improving men’s health,” Mid Penn Bank President and CEO Rory Ritrievi said. 

Money raised supports the Department of Urology’s involvement in the Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC) which connects physician scientists at Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine focused on cancer care with community urology practices.  

“We’re so grateful that Mid Penn Bank has joined us as a champion for men’s health,” said Dr. Jay Raman, interim chair of the Department of Urology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine. “Community partnerships are important in growing awareness, educating our communities and getting men the care they need.” 

The collaborative is a physician-led, data sharing and improvement initiative aimed at advancing the quality of diagnosis and care for patients with prostate cancer, the organizations said. 

This commitment also supports the research of physician-scientists in the Department of Urology that focuses on cancer care in the aging population, addresses cancer disparities in minority populations and increases genetic testing of cancer patients to better determine risk and personalize therapies. 

In addition to supporting cancer research, the money helps provide free prostate cancer screenings for the community, supports mission-based work by the department to underserved areas regionally and nationally and makes available educational conferences for patients and health care professionals covering elements of cancer prevention and screening. 

“Philanthropy is absolutely vital to medical research. This support helps dedicated researchers uncover groundbreaking, lifesaving treatments for prostate cancer and other diseases affecting men’s health,” said Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of the College of Medicine. 

In honor of Mid Penn Bank’s leadership and financial commitment to this fundraising effort, Penn State will name the second-floor outpatient clinic at Penn State Cancer Institute the Mid Penn Bank Outpatient Clinic.