Matt Houchin is spending 2024 making a fashion statement by exclusively wearing Hard Rock Café shirts, but not just because he likes them. He’s also trying to raise $1 million to buy guitars for kids.
“I actually had the idea to wear the t-shirts first. And I just thought it would be for somebody that I just had this vision of wearing Hard Rock shirts every day for a year,” the Sandy Springs resident told Rough Draft.
Houchin thought he shouldn’t do this for no reason and should try to use it to help a charity. That charity needed to tie into the Hard Rock theme, so Free Guitars 4 Kids (FG4K) made sense to him. He also had a connection with the nonprofit’s founder, having worked with him on other projects.
So, he set up the 2024 Hard Rock Shirt-a-thon to meet these goals.
“Kids are so addicted to their screens these days so I want to get screens out of kids’ hands and guitars into them,” Houchin said.
In 2023, FG4K gave away more than 1,000 guitars in 16 States and two countries. The 2024 goal is more than 4,000 guitars, said FG4K executive director Benjamin Dudley.
“At FG4K, we not only believe music is one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given, but also that the opportunity to play, compose, or perform songs is one that every child should be afforded; and it is our goal to do just that,” Dudley said.
FG4K partners with local organizations to identify the kids who will get the guitars. Locally, they work with the Amped Kids Foundation, which he said provides music lessons to kids in foster care and for recent adoptees.
Houchin said he’s been connecting with Amped Kids and will be able to make similar connections with other organizations as he promotes FG4K.
“Growing up, I wanted a guitar but couldn’t afford one. And it meant a lot when I was a teenager and was finally able to get a guitar,” he said.
Luckily, Houchin can wear the t-shirts without violating his workplace dress code. Tech…
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