Have you ever wondered who’s underneath the Grinch costume around Christmas Time? That would be the Father’s Club of Ridgefield. Read on to see the incredible things this group is pursuing to make Ridgefield shine even brighter.
Growing from a small social club to a full-fledged philanthropic organization in just a few short years, Founder of The Father’s Club of Ridgefield Brian Armstrong didn’t expect such exciting growth, stating he was “just looking to meet some new guys and make a few friends,” but is amazed at how quickly this engaged and giving group of guys has formed.
The Father’s Club of Ridgefield’s mission is to support youth activities, provide aid to underprivileged families, and improve the community through charitable works. Brian sat down with us to explain how the group is living out their mission, and what’s in the works for the future.
How it Started
When searching for men’s and father’s groups to join in town, Brian was surprised to find a plethora of organizations catering to moms, but none for dads. Simply looking for a few dads to connect with (like we see moms doing all the time), Brian went out on a limb to gauge interest.
Beginning as a Facebook Group to try and recruit interested dads, Brian held the first meeting of what would soon become many, hoping a few dads would show up to join him. When over a dozen fathers turned up, Brian knew he was onto something.
As word of mouth spread and more dads continued to sign up, in less than a month the club had over 100 members. By the end of the year (in 2018), what started as a handful of local dads sharing a few beers had grown to a group of over 500 members.
As their membership ranks grew, Brian realized he now “had the manpower to do some real good in town.” To that end, the Father’s Club held their first charity fundraiser for a local dad battling cancer — they raised more money than expected, which gave the club motivation to pursue bigger fundraisers.
Enter the infamous Ridgefield Grinch. This started as a way to cheer up home-bound kids during the pandemic. One of the dad’s would dress up as the Grinch (as you’ve most likely seen), visit kids at their homes, and leave a goodie bag on their porch filled with toys and candy.
“It became an overnight sensation,” the group said, quickly growing into the club’s biggest fundraiser. For context, over 30 dads volunteered with the Ridgefield Grinch in 2021, visiting over 700 houses and delivering goodie bags to over 1,500 kids, raising $15,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield.
The Power of Community
The group does all sorts of charitable acts around town, including shoveling snow for seniors, helping the cemetery commission right fallen headstones, and help clear fallen trees, among other “handyman” projects. Most recently, they have helped the Ridgefield Thrift Shop move inventory, and will soon help the Ridgefield Arts Council maintain their advertisements.
The club also supports youth sports in town, sponsoring teams and running a “fastest pitch” competition for Ridgefield Little League at their pancake breakfast fundraiser.
“We also purchase Christmas gifts for underprivileged families each year,” Brian states. “We aim to provide a helping hand wherever we can in the community.”
As for the future, Brian claims he would love to have additional chapters in other towns. “We’re actually working on a plan to make that happen,” he notes. “Our biggest project right now though is trying to get our operations center built, and then planning for the Grinch later this year.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the club can attend any of the group’s monthly meetings for free, and apply for a membership on their website ridgefieldfathersclub.com.
“We generally don’t have a lot of rules,” Brian states of becoming a member. “Dads deal with enough stress, so we keep it pretty light. The only membership qualification we have is that you have to be some kind of dad, whether that be for your own kids, or as a stepdad or foster dad.”
“We aim to provide a helping hand wherever we can in the community.”