Geezer Squad gets things done
Group of church volunteers lends a hand with home repairs
THE WOODLANDS — For a group of volunteers at The Woodlands United Methodist Church, the term “geezer” is one to be proud of.
The Geezer Squad started about 11 years ago when members of the men’s group found out that another member in the church, an elderly woman raising her two grandchildren, was living in a trailer without a wheelchair ramp. Now, the Geezers have a member roster of around 100, with about 25 dedicated weekly volunteers, who build wheelchair ramps, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and help give back to the community through basic home repairs.
“We just want to serve, we want to help,” said Jim Stanley, one of the Geezer Squad leaders.
The group is open to anyone but is predominantly made up of retired men who have the time to go out weekday mornings to construct wheelchair ramps and replace drywall. No construction background or tools is necessary. Weekends are left open to spend time with the grandkids.
“We have guys that are 86 years old, and we have guys that are still not 65,” Stanley said. “Everyone has the heart to serve, that’s what’s really neat about this.”
The group finds clients in a few ways. About half of their references for people in need of wheelchair ramps come from partner agencies in the area. Last year the Geezers teamed up with the Magnolia Fire Department to build a ramp for a resident whose mother had to call the firefighters when she needed to get him back in the house.
Labor is donated by the Geezers and materials are purchased through the church so none of the clients in need of a ramp have to pay for anything.
So far in 2021, the Geezers have build six ramps around the county.
When the church sponsors a Habitat For Humanity build, about one-third of the volunteer build days are done by the Geezers during the week.
For Allan Schneider, joining the Geezers was a way to give back. “I think most of the guys don’t look at it as work,” Schneider said. “It’s a fun opportunity to get together with other men to talk and give each other a little grief and do something good.”
Following the winter freeze in February, the church and the Geezers geared up for a major response. While there was a great need in the county for help with repairs, the Geezer Squad hasn’t fielded as many requests as they anticipated, but they’ve answered all the calls they have received.
Conroe resident Delia Dixon called the Geezers on the recommendation of a friend after her pipes froze and burst, flooding her home and destroying part of her ceiling. She called the church looking for help and Schneider called her back offering the squad’s services.
“They’re so nice,” Dixon said of the Geezers who helped repair her home. “They’re so sweet. They’re just good guys and they do what they can to try and make things right.”
Dixon has lived on the property in Conroe her whole life, and in that specific house for 16 years. She said the February freeze caused the worst damage she’s ever had. With help from the Geezers, she has new, free Sheetrock in her dining room where the ceiling collapsed and can focus on cleaning out everything else.
Without their help, she believes the repairs would have cost a few thousand dollars.
“They are wonderful, and a helping hand,” Dixon said of the Geezer Squad. “A lot of people had a lot of damage. I just pray that they were blessed as I was to have someone to help them.”
This is not the first time the group has responded to a crisis. After Hurricane Harvey, the Geezer Squad kept busy for several weeks cleaning out homes and doing repairs.
Even a global pandemic didn’t stop the Geezers from building more wheelchair ramps and finding new ways to assist county residents in need.