Three-time World Beard Champion (and former guest on The Manual podcast) Madison Rowley is doing something most people probably never thought he would do – he’s cutting his wondrous, awe-inducing, award-winning beard. He’s doing it for a good reason, though.
According to a Gofundme started by Rowley, he’s cutting his beard to raise awareness about, and help prevent, tragedies brought on by addiction.
“A year ago, a close childhood friend of mine died from an accidental drug overdose. Brian and I met at age 8 and shared many adventures together up until the day he passed. He always held high expectations for himself, pushing things to the brink of his abilities. Sometimes he hit the breaking point but always learned how to do it better the next time. He was an artist, a businessman, a Blazer fan, a kind and playful soul, always with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye. When he passed, it was unexpected. It devastated our friends, family, and community. Sadly, it’s not an uncommon story,” Rowley explained on the page.
Rowley is hoping to raise $28,000, with the proceeds going to Shatterproof, an organization dedicated to improving the treatment of addiction and to helping families affected by addiction in America.
Style Choices:
- Natural mustache
- Dali mustache
- English mustache
- Imperial mustache
- Hungarian mustache
- Goatee natural
- Musketeer
- Fu man chu
- Kaiser beard
- Sideburns
- Verdi
- Garibaldi
If Rowley hits that goal, he will shave his beard. There is a catch, though. Rowley isn’t just shaving his beard. He’s going to shave his beard into one of 12 styles, as chosen by everyone who donates. Each person who donates can vote on what style they want and, at the end of the campaign, the winning style will be selected.
“Once the campaign goal is met, the category that accumulated the most ‘beard bucks’ will determine the style I cut my beard to for the competition,” Rowley wrote.
Styles include the Garibaldi, the Musketeer, the Hungarian (the leader as of publication), and more. The Musketeer is in second place, with the natural mustache coming in a distant third.
As of the publication of this article, $1,919 of $28,000 has been raised. You can donate to the “Cut for the Cause Challenge” here.
Want to hear more about Rowley and his beard? Listen to his appearance on The Manual podcast here!
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