Concord Group Raises Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars For Charities

CONCORD, NH — It is described as a “not-so-secret” Concord men’s group that uniquely supports nonprofits.

But its name describes what it truly is: Guys Who Give A $hit.

The organization, a loosely knit collective of capital region men, gets together four times a year to help out local worthy causes. Each man agrees to donate $100 four times a year. They have drinks, talk business, work, and family, and then, hear from three organizations in need of financial help. After presentations, they vote on who will receive the bulk of the donations. The other two orgs also get smaller donations.

Kevin Jack, the chief operating officer at Swenson Granite Works, admitted, when asked, that it was hard to pick just one nonprofit each quarter to win. But even those orgs who do not win enjoyed attending and speaking about their missions, he said.

Jack said the group could expand or ask companies and businesses to make donations. But instead, they prefer to keep it intimate.

“The great part of this is that every person in here feels like they gave $15,000,” Jack said. “Nobody feels like they gave $100; they gave $15,000 … it’s real money.”

The charities are chosen at random before the meeting. Not everyone is required to attend the meeting, but if they want to vote, they have to attend. If they cannot make a meeting, they are asked to make arrangements for the payment every quarter.

Since April 2018, Guys Who Give A $hit has raised more than $200,000 for nonprofits, Jack said.

At the org’s meeting Nov. 15, Camp ExSighting Adventures, Special Olympics NH Athletes, and Care Women’s Center all made impressive presentations. Special Olympics, who went first, spoke about all of their great events and what they would do with the money. During coronavirus, all of their events were canceled.

Care Women’s Center, which has been around for decades, offers pregnancy assistance, free sonograms, and parenting classes, including fatherhood training for men with criminal histories. The org offers an extensive training program and participants earn credits in order to trade for clothing and other items they need to raise their children.

Camp ExSighting Adventures is a camp for the blind. It replicates the camp experience for about two dozen campers, aged 9 to 17, for a week each summer. The organization also hires blind counselors. During its presentation, a girl, Delaney, who lost her sight due to a tumor, brought down the house with her short speech about the camp experience. She had to stop a few times since she was reading from a braille tablet. Attendees were clearly moved by her speech.

After the vote, Camp ExSighting Adventures was elected to receive $14,000, while the other orgs received $500 each.

For more information, visit the Guys Who Give A $hit website, linked here.

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