Cab Drivers Pull Over, Strike A Pose For Latest Calendar

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Next time you take a taxi, take a good look at the driver -- because you may be riding with a calendar model.

During a recent morning commute to work, a cabbie told CBS2's Cindy Hsu he was "Mr. July."

It turns out Gary Rosen wasn't joking. He appears in the latest NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar.

"At first, I was shocked, and then it is growing on me," Rosen said.

The calendar features 13 taxi drivers striking sexy and humorous poses. One driver is seen laying across his hood with his shirt unbuttoned and his hairy chest exposed. Another shows a shirtless driver lying down while surrounded by puppies.

Shannon and Philip Kirkman came up with the idea for the calendar.

"When you get into a cab, not everyone speaks to the driver or even sees their face, so just sort of humanizing them," Philip Kirkman said.

"We do want to raise awareness for these hardworking taxi drivers that are sometimes working seven days a week, 12 hours a day," said Shannon Kirkman, the calendar's photographer.

The couple looked for drivers with a great sense of humor and a good back story.

For example, Balde is from West Africa, and he's looking to eventually go to school and have a health clinic in West Africa, Shannon Kirkman said.

There's also a husband-and-wife driving team featured in the calendar.

Rosen is a former Merchant Marine and retired computer engineer. But when his wife retired two years ago, "she asked me to leave the house in the morning because I interrupt crossword puzzles," he said.

So he became a taxi driver.

The calendar also helps raise money for charity. The very first calendar last year raised $40,000 for University Settlement, a nonprofit group that helps immigrants and low-income families.

Other drivers are getting a kick out of the calendar, and some even recognize their friends.

"I know this guy!" said driver Emmanuel Duah.

"Where you going to put me next time?" Duah added. "Yeah, I want to be in there."

For more information on the calendar, click here.

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