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.
Houchin originally planned to wear the shirts every day for fun but then thought he might be able to raise awareness for 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 companies are famously laid back about workers’ wardrobes, Houchin said. In some situations, he may need to wear a jacket over the shirt, but his employer has been very supportive knowing that he’s doing it for charity.
His friends and his wife have been supportive of his shirt plans, somewhat to his surprise. He did have a bit of a challenge on Valentine’s Day when they went out to a nice restaurant. But he managed to find a button-down dress shirt with the Hard Rock logo on the lapel and “Atlanta” stitched on the sleeve.
Houchin’s got about a month’s worth of shirts so far. A couple of sweatshirts and one crewneck sweatshirt with the Hard Rock Cafe logo on came in handy when it got cold in January. Friends will send him shirts once in a while that they find in their dressers from the 90s. One of those friends just gave Houchin his old Shanghai Hard Rock Café t-shirt.
He has plans to visit Rag-O-Rama, which stocks new and recycled clothes this month, and some other places around Atlanta that always seem to have Hard Rock clothing. He hopes to do some trading to get new shirts to keep things fresh.
Houchin said Hard Rock Café has contacted him with a promise to share more shirts.
“His dedication and passion towards supporting Free Guitars 4 Kids is truly remarkable. It’s not just about casually sporting a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt every day; Matt is diving headfirst into creating compelling content for social media, weaving our narrative into captivating stories,” Dudley said. “His commitment mirrors that of a full-time team member, and we’re in awe of his efforts.”
To make his efforts successful, Houchin said he needed help. He said he’s an expert in video production, but not in fundraising despite setting a goal of $1 million. He hopes anyone who reads about him and his charitable goal and who has any ideas will get in contact with him through his website.
