Ah, November. The month when your usually dapper, clean shaven male co-workers and counterparts start looking more like burly, wood-chopping mountain men lumberjacking their way through grocery stores, office cubicles and city streets.

While it’s mostly a meaningless excuse to showcase one’s ability to out-beard other guys, there’s one group of athletes tossing their razors for a cause this year.

Several members of the Harlem Globetrotters – those guys and girls who can do simple things like dropkick a basketball through a hoop or dribble four balls at once – are growing a #GOATee for a Good Cause, raising awareness about how goats and other livestock gifts are helping to break the cycle of poverty in developing countries. They’ll show off their final facial stylings on December 1st in honor of Giving Tuesday – a national day devoted to making charitable donations, a la Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Why goatees for goats?

Recent scientific studies show livestock aid is successful in giving the extremely poor a large and lasting economic boost out of poverty. Goats are the most popular gift out of World Vision’s annual Gift Catalog because of the wide range of benefits offered by one animal. One goat can:

-Provide up to 16 cups of milk a day

-Become a source of income for families to sell surplus milk, cheese and yogurt, which can then be used for expenses like school fees or medical bills

-Produce fertilizer for crop fields and vegetable gardens

-Give birth to up to two offspring a year, which can be sold or shared to lift the community out of poverty over time.

According to Globetrotters star Hawk Thomas, “In basketball the word goat is an acronym for Greatest Of All Time. But after over a dozen years of playing ball, I know no superstar is built without the hundreds of small, unselfish acts and sacrifices of their teammates. I am growing a #GOATee for a good cause to encourage fans to do something selfless this Giving Tuesday by donating a goat and changing the life of a child or family struggling to get by.” 

The goateed guys will be posting weekly Twitter updates through November 30 at @Globies and @WorldVisionUSA, where you can follow along until Giving Tuesday.

I think we can call this the basketballer’s equivalent of a home run.

Image: World Vision


Goats are just one way to share big dreams with a child this Giving Tuesday.  World Vision’s Gift Catalog features over 100 other life-saving gifts that can be donated in a loved one’s name this holiday season. Shoppers can also choose to send a personalized card describing the gift and its impact.  You don’t have to spend a fortune to bring about tremendous social change. Gifts in the catalog range from $16 (the price of an average t-shirt) to $39,000.  In fiscal year 2015 alone, more than 122,000 donors gave more than 297,000 items from the Gift Catalog helping more than 650,000 people around the world.

Editorial

Demand Equity

These famous basketball players are "No Shave Novembering" for a good cause

By Meredith Hastings