If you’ve lived in Georgetown, Texas for any amount of time, chances are you’ve seen the Georgetown Beard Club.
Whether it’s sporting festive outfits complete with tinsel and bells in their beards at the Christmas Stroll, cleaning up the Square every week (sometimes in fabulous unicorn costumes) or holding a drive-by parade for seniors citizens for the 4th of July, the Georgetown Beard Club is ever present in the community and always ready to serve.
“Whenever we see a need that needs filling or we see a charity that we want to support, we’ll just go do something to do that and do it with a style and a smile,” Rob Kiddie, President of the Georgetown Beard Club, told Hello Georgetown. ”
That service hasn’t gone unnoticed and during a recent city council meeting, the Georgetown City Council declared February 22, 2022 as Georgetown Beard Club Appreciation Day.
“They are an amazing light in our community,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said at the meeting. “They serve under the radar without any fanfare. These are the guys that are picking up trash on the Square Saturday morning, very, very early, without any media or fanfare at all, and so they’re happy to serve in that way, but then they also do things that unite the community, that are very visible.”
The group’s core is comprised of over a dozen men with beards of all kinds who for the past several years have been going about and doing good in ways large and small. Their approach is simple and effective, “just show up.”
“Part of the service for me, it’s just showing up,” Kiddie said. “You show up, you keep showing up, you’re going to make an impact…We never set out to really say, ‘Hey, look at us,’ we kind of naturally garner the attention by the crazy things we do, but it was nice to see the City of Georgetown recognize us as part of the fabric of the community and part of what makes Georgetown unique,” Kiddie said. “So, it’s not something that was expected, but to get that sort of recognition was a huge win for us.”
You can read the proclamation in it’s entirety below:
Whereas the Georgetown Beard Club was established in 2015 and obtained non-profit status in 2018, and has since raised more than $120,000 for local charities and families in need.
And whereas the Georgetown Beard Club has provided housing for two families and financial volunteer support for 14 local entities, including Veteran Outdoors, Boys & Girls Club, Make a Wish, Playful Child, Habitat for Humanity, Field of Honor, and We Are Not Broken.
And whereas the members of the Georgetown Beard Club act as proud ambassadors of our community by participating in events, such as the weekly Square cleanup, San Gabriel Park cleanup, Christmas Stroll and parade, and the Red Poppy Festival and parade.
And whereas the Georgetown Beard Club contributes so much to our community and they do it all with style and a smile.
Now, therefore I, Josh Schroeder, Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Texas do proclaim Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 as Georgetown Beard Club Appreciation Day.
The recognition didn’t stop at the City Council Meeting though. Just a few days later, members of the Georgetown Beard Club found themselves sitting at the Boys & Girls Club of Georgetown Banquet unaware of the additional recognition and award coming their way.
“We’ve been going to these banquets for years and we’re usually there just to be the helping hand, serving food…at the end of it, we all help with the cleanup and stuff,” Kiddie said. “This one, they’re like ‘Dress nice, come out.’ So, we went out there and unbeknownst to me…we ended up getting the Bill Stanley Community Partner of the Year Award.”
Image Courtesy: Georgetown Beard Club via Facebook
For the Beard Club, these awards are humbling and motivating to continue their mission. The club is currently involved in rebuilding the home of a local family in need.
“The biggest project that we’ve ever been involved in is still ongoing is what we’ve coined our ‘Lend a Hand” campaign for a local family, [an] elderly couple who’ve adopted four special needs kids over their lifetime,” Kiddie said. “So, last February, their pipes froze. They busted…we went out there and we were like, ‘We can’t just put a band-aid on what clearly needs a tourniquet.’ So. with the help of others in our community, Valor and Lace, Chris and Emily Hamilton, a lot, a lot, a lot of community partners, we’ve basically…taken this house down to the studs and we’re completely rebuilding.”
Next steps in the rebuild include gathering cash and in-kind donations to cover attic and wall insulation, bathroom vanities, millwork (baseboards, door trim, vanities, shelving), countertops, pre-hung interior doors, decking for ADA compliant ramps, and more.
Additionally, the club has several events planned for this year, including continuing their tradition of weekly clean-ups and drive by parades, as well as fundraisers to support local nonprofits, and everyone, beard or not, is invited to join in the mission of the Georgetown Beard Club.
“Nobody has to have facial hair of any sort,” Kiddie said. “Whoever wants to support the charitable causes that we support, everybody’s welcome.”
Learn more about the Georgetown Beard Club on their website, their Facebook page and their Instagram.
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