No Shave November hits record $341,000 donations for cancer research

Beards and mustaches net local efforts to fight prostate cancer a record $341,000. 

Mid Penn Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mid Penn Bancorp, Inc., and Penn State Health teamed up for their eighth annual “No Shave November,” which encourages participants to grow facial hair to raise donations Penn State Cancer Institute. 

The campaign is spearheaded by Dr. Jay Raman, interim chair of the Department of Urology at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and Rory Ritrievi, president and CEO of Mid Penn Bank, who have squared off each November since 2016 to see who can grow the best beards and raise the most money to fight prostate and urological cancer.  

Participants from both organizations ditched their razors and grew out their facial hair with the goal of raising cancer awareness and starting conversations about prostate health. 

“Since 2016, Mid Penn Bank and Penn State Health have teamed up during the month of November to raise funds for prostate cancer research to help fight this formidable disease that affects one in eight men,” Ritrievi said. “The campaign has grown exponentially, and we couldn’t be more proud of its contribution to the groundbreaking research being performed by my dear friend, Dr. Raman, and his incredible team of physicians.” 

This year’s fundraising total exceeds last year’s by $100,000, continuing the growth trend each year since 2016. 

“Support from community partners such as Mid Penn Bank helps to fuel our efforts to fight cancer,” Raman said. “The money raised through ‘No Shave November’ will provide our team with additional resources to pursue new research projects, enhance diagnostic tools and treatments, and improve prostate and urologic health for patients.” 

This year, 23 businesses and organizations throughout the bank’s footprint joined the campaign to promote awareness and to help with fundraising, Ritrievi said.  

Community organizations created “No Shave November”-themed products and donated a portion of the sales to the campaign, contributing more than $23,000 to this year’s total. 

“Our community partners made a huge impact on our ‘No Shave November’ total this year,” Ritrievi said. “Knowing that the important work done by Dr. Raman and his team directly benefits the folks in our communities, we are truly grateful for their support and generosity.” 

Since its inception, the campaign has contributed more than $950,000 to fund prostate cancer research and care by rallying financial support from employees and partners of both organizations during the month of November.  

To honor the Bank’s commitment to raising $1.1 million by 2026, Penn State Health said it recently named the second-floor outpatient clinic at Penn State Cancer Institute the Mid Penn Bank Outpatient Clinic.