The first ever Dad Bod for a Rad Cause calendar raised over $17,000 for MOvember Red Deer and the men’s health initiatives it supports.

Calendar Coordinator Meagan Parisian said the calendar was the culmination of a Twitter thread over the summer that reached over 800 notifications.

“People’s phones were dying over and over again, my phone included,” she said. “My co-coordinator Monti Layne and I went for coffee and said, ‘You know, what if this is gaining this much traction as a joke. Do you think we could actually make this happen?’

“We thought about it and decided it was something we needed to do.”

After a brainstorming session, it became clear that MOvember Red Deer was the obvious choice for the Dad Bod For a Rad Cause calendar.

“We met with Jest Dempsey, who is the president of MOvember Red Deer. He was on board instantly and so stoked,” Parisian said.

Over the course of the next six weeks, the calendar came together using volunteer photographers, models and sponsors from the community.

“Craft Beer Nation was one, The Bra Lounge was absolutely instrumental in helping out; Troubled Monk hosted our launch and wrap up parties and Scotiabank matched the sales of the calendar for us,” Parisian said.

Overall Dad Bod for a Rad Cause sold 665 calendars after initially selling out their first print run of 500 calendars.

“Our models all said, ‘We sold out – can we get some more?’ Monti and I decided to do a reprint of 250 more calendars,” she said.

The total of $17,000 is a current figure, with that number likely to increase with more calendars available and numbers still coming in.

“It absolutely surpassed any expectation that we had,” Parisian said.

“Now we have eight months to plan for next year’s calendar. We are looking for Dad Bod models, we are looking for sponsors, we are looking for retailers and we are looking to make it bigger and better next year.”

She added she wanted to thank Troubled Monk for hosting the events, as well as the retailers who sold the calendars.

“Calendars are still available until the end of December at Troubled Monk and The Bra Lounge. People can also contact me directly on Twitter. I have just under 100 left,” she said.

todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com

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