The 2005 Pink Ribbon Men of Marin Calendar -- Casting Call. A Shameless Fund-Raiser.

A calendar of tastefully nude men supporting the women in their lives afflicted by breast cancer.

Larkspur, CA (PRWEB) October 10, 2004 -- Marin men are rising up to support their loved ones in the fight against breast cancer. The Pink Ribbon Men of Marin Calendar will feature 12 beautiful portraits of tastefully nude men shot outdoors showcasing the physical beauty of the county, to raise funds for breast cancer research, education and patient services. Pink Ribbon Men will be posing in honor of their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters afflicted with the disease. There will be no frontal nudity and the men will be posed strategically hiding the family jewels.

Living in Marin, we are reminded that breast cancer has a major impact on the lives of women, men and their families. In a larger context, breast cancer in the Bay Area and beyond is a large and growing problem. We need to focus and find out why this is happening and forge a solution in community based fund-raising .

To this effort, Pink Ribbon Men are being sought to apply and pose for the upcoming 2005 calendar. "We are not necessarily seeking men who are chiseled and cut" says co-director Veronica Napoles, "quite the contrary -- we want to encourage the notion of Mr. December or Mr. April being your average man who is willing to bare all, well...almost all, in support of the significant female in his life affected by breast cancer." The concept of community service is no stranger to Veronica having served on the board of directors of Youth In Arts in San Rafael and currently an in-home volunteer for Marin Hospice.

The idea however, was the brainchild of co-director Devyani Kamdar who has an extensive publishing background. Her experience in the large-format illustrated book business spans 16 years and 13 books, collectively selling over 2 million copies. She has been an assignment editor on four books including two New York Times bestsellers: Christmas in America and A Day in the Life of America. Recently, while visiting in Oregon, Devi's mother sheepishly pulled out a calendar featuring local men posing nude for a school fund-raiser. "The look on my mother's face was priceless. Here's a woman who's as prim as they come, yet she was so proud to show me this calendar" said Devi. This started the fund-raising vehicle wheels turning in her head and the Pink Ribbon Men were born.

Anyone interested in supporting this endeavor and honoring a woman in their life who is currently battling the disease, is in remission, or has lost the battle against breast cancer, is encouraged to respond to the online casting call www.pinkribbonmen.com. All it takes is a few minutes to upload a photo and fill in a short questionnaire.

The 12 Pink Ribbon Men of Marin, including those selected from our on-line casting call, will be announced on the Pink Ribbon Men website on November 10. The calendar will be released in late November 2004 and can be pre-ordered now at www.pinkribbonmen.com.        ;

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