Beardlifter For Charity

By Lauri Apple in Miscellaneous on Mar 20, 2009 5:20PM

Chicagoan Eamon Daly started using his facial hair to money for local charities back in 2006, when he learned about the popular Mustaches for Kids program. "I am too lazy to run marathons, he says, "and too fat to sell cookies, so growing facial hair seemed like just the ticket." In August 2008, he started growing a beard and came up with the idea of lifting objects with it for, ahem, chairitable purposes. At Things My Beard Can Lift, Daly documents his lifting and his fund-raising, which helps the Off the Street Club -- Chicago's oldest boys and girls club.

On Friday, Daly will appear at Wild Dogz in Evanston, where he will lift a 40-pound gyro cone. Recently he took time out from practicing to answer a few questions.

Chicagoist: Did you initially want to grow a beard for appearance enhancement purposes, or is the beard mainly for charity?

Eamon Daly: If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't choose to grow a beard: you can only choose not to shave. We had a lousy 2008 in the Daly household, and the beard just kept growing and growing and growing, until one day I realized we were out of the woods and basic grooming could once again be part of my routine.

I had no thoughts of charity, really -- I was planning to shave the beard off and move on. At the last minute, though, I decided I had to do something to celebrate the miracle on my face and take some pictures as a final farewell, and for some unfathomable reason I just started attaching random items to my beard. I uploaded some of those pictures to Facebook the next morning, and my buddy Tim Kearney immediately said, "The most important thing your beard can lift is everyone's spirits." Thus, Things My Beard Can Lift was born.

C: Have you ever used the word "cHAIRity"?

ED: No, but if you grant me the rights I absolutely will!

C: Granted. So, as the items get heavier, we're starting to see more and more "pulled-out beard hair" pictures. Ouch. How painful is it, really?

ED: It's hard to describe pain, but here goes: you know that scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin where Steve Carell gets his chest waxed? It's like that, but instead of a cheerful woman ripping quickly, expertly, and efficiently, it's a brutally cold and unforgiving weight, slowly and inexorably yanking each and every strand out by the root.

Oh, and it's my FACE.

C: Your next item is the 40-pound gyro cone. What are your thoughts as you
head into this lift?

ED: I try not to think too hard about what I'm doing. I'm just keeping my eyes on the prize: $5,000 for the Off the Street Club. I do hope some people come out to see the madness for themselves and spread the word to their friends. Every lift could be my last!

C: How did you get involved with the Off the Street Club, and how did they respond to the beard project when you proposed it?

ED: Off the Street Club was the charity of Mustaches for Kids Chicago in 2006 and 2007. The more I learned about the amazing work they've been doing for so many years (since 1900!) for so many kids (3,000 a year!), the more I loved the place. From the director on down, it's a great organization that provides a safe environment where kids can just be kids. They've been great to work with, too: [OTSC Executive Director] Ralph [Campagna] and [Assistant Director] Arnett [Morris] personally drove a bunch of the kids out to the Windy City Rollers and WGN Morning News lifts so they could be a part of the madness and have a bizarre memory to share with their friends.

C: How did you get in the London Metro?

ED: I have no idea. Not only did the Metro pick up the story within hours of the launch of ThingsMyBeardCanLift.com, but they just did a follow-up story this week-- and Sky TV just asked permission to run the YouTube clip of me lifting a 40-pound mixing bowl on air! Clearly they have a true appreciation of the hirsute arts.

C: You have inspired beard cupcakes. How did that connection originate?

ED: I can't take any credit for that. Marisa and Leslie at Baking for the Taking came to me with the idea of making beard cupcakes and donating $10 for every box sold, and I figured they might sell five or six boxes at most. I couldn't have been more wrong: in just 2 weeks, they've baked over 400 cupcakes and donated $350 to the beard!

C: Can you order them with beard hair baked inside?

ED: No, you can't order cupcakes with real hair, but I'd be happy to provide people with some for a modest donation through Things My Beard Can Lift, of course!