The Deacons of Deadwood Motorcycle Club is a 501(c)(3) charity that has donated over $3,000,000 to charities benefiting children in the Houston area. Our beneficiaries have included: Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boys and Girls Country, Camp for All, Devereux Foundation, Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, and Ronald McDonald House.

The Deacons of Deadwood raises the majority of its funds through an annual Charity Ball and Golf Tournament. Our goal from the outset has been to put on a charity event that patrons would enjoy attending. Most of our members donate to many charities each year, but dread having to attend all those “rubber chicken” events. The Deacons wanted to have a Charity Ball that our guests would look forward to attending. We have been successful. The head of the Society Pages in the Houston Chronicle told us after her first Ball that it was the most fun she had had at a charity event in ten years. The Chronicle covers our Ball every year, and we have been featured on local television and in national motorcycle magazines.

The Ball is “Biker Formal,” the interpretation of which is left up to each guest. The emphasis is on fun, and our guests are encouraged to be creative but tasteful. We have a pre-party at which our guests assemble before the Ball. From that venue, the Houston Police Motorcycle Unit escorts our Dead Mans’ Parade to the Ball by shutting down all the roads along the way. The Dead Mans’ Parade has involved as many as 150 Harley-Davidsons.

We raise most of our proceeds from the sale of VIP Tables, corporate sponsorships and donations, a silent auction and raffling of a fully loaded pickup truck. In 2013, we sold a record 30 VIP Tables, and we could have sold more if we had had space. The silent auction has had items such as trips to the Masters, New York City, Las Vegas, Mexico, Montana, and Wyoming, a golf outing at Oakmont Country Club the week after the U.S. Open was played there, custom motorcycles, as well as memorabilia from the Sons of Anarchy. Best-selling author Judith McNaught has attended several of our Balls. Judith has donated an obligation to write the highest bidder (name, personality, and all) into one of her novels, and has donated a guarantee that she will show a novel written by the highest bidder to her publisher.

One hundred percent of the net funds we raise are donated. We maintain separate bank accounts so Club funds are never comingled with charity funds. No Member receives any compensation for serving the Club as an officer, director, or in any other capacity. All of our members are required to buy two tickets to the Ball whether or not they can attend, so every one of our members supports our charitable efforts. Our financial statements are audited every year.