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Community Corner

'Beer Guts and Beards' Calendar Features Local "Less Than Perfect" Men

A party celebrating the calendar's release will be held Saturday night in White Plains. A portion of the proceeds benefit an organization which helps kids who have lost hair during cancer treatment.

Just over a year ago, Alyse Schiffman of Somers was healthy, happy, and a very successful hairstylist until a sudden reality check changed everything.

“I was diagnosed with a benign essential tremor," she said. The tremor is a neurologic movement disorder that causes her hands and arms to involuntarily twitch.

Schiffman, who tames tresses at Armonk's , realized the tremors may lead to the need to find another career path in the future.

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That’s when she decided to launch Beer Guts-N-Beards International — a calendar business that features less-than-perfect men. One dollar of the proceeds from each calendar sold is dedicated to a charity that helps children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. 

The idea came about when her mother asked her what type of man she was drawn to.

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"I realized I like an adorable big cuddly teddy bear who doesn't spend all of his time at the gym and isn't afraid to drink a good cold beer because of the calories,” she said.

Schiffman said that she was tired of constantly seeing media images of people who look like they belong on America’s Next Top Model or other calendars featuring firefighters with perfect physiques. She said that the perfection-obsessed media also needed a reality check, and decided to create her own calendar that would represent "real men with real bodies."

On Saturday, Schiffman invites the public to get a glimpse of her real men at “The Real Men Calendar of 2012 Release Party.”  All 12 men will be present and available to sign calendars at the party, which will be held at the Jackie Blue Lounge in White Plains from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m.

All proceeds from the event’s raffle and auction—during which dinner with the calendar models will be auctioned to the highest bidder—will be donated to charity.  

What's next for Beer Guts N Beards International? Schiffman told Patch that both A Real Woman of 2013 Calendar and a Real Men of 2013 Calendar are currently in the works.

Do you know one of the "Beer Guts and Beards" men? Check out this “sneak peek” of the list of 12 calendar models, selected from a pool of 150 applicants.

The Real Men of 2012: 

Mat Masi of Somers, Mr. January

Time Denver of Mahopac, Mr. February

Jim Borhill of Mahopac, Mr. March

Ricky Mancini Katonah, Mr. April

Anthony Preterno of Somers, Mr. May

Jose Rosado of Somers, Mr. June

Ron Delucia of Yorktown, Mr. July

Dan Holland of Stamford, CT, Mr. August

Nick Bivona of City Island NY, Mr. September

Julio Neives of Brewster, Mr. October

Louie Ruffalo of Somers, Mr. November

Nick Masci of Mahopac, Mr. December

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