The Notorious Ones: Serving Houston County’s community, serving for the future

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Their goal is to serve the community and to ride motorcycles. They have a passion, as their chapter president said, for “unity and community.”

The Warner Robins Chapter of The Notorious Ones, a motorcycle club focused on community service and assisting those in need, works throughout the year to fulfill this mission. The Journal spoke with Chapter President Rico Freeman, also known as “Free,” to get a better picture of the work they do.

“We’ve been here in Houston County for 18 years now,” Freeman said. “The club originated in Sacramento, California, back in ’88, and we had a couple members that relocated to Georgia. That’s when this chapter started here.”

Today, a club that started with only a couple of passionate bikers is now somewhere in the range of 50-strong. With 18 years of growth under their belt, both in numbers and reputation, the group now serves Houston County and its people in a multitude of ways.

The club is often busiest during the holiday season, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. In November, they hold an annual Turkey Giveaway event. In December, they adopt a family, sometimes two, and help them buy gifts.

That doesn’t stop the group from doing work earlier in the year, however. Before school begins, the Notorious Ones host a Skate Party where they feed children pizza and cake, and also pass out school supplies. In October, for Halloween, the group gives out candy.

The group also partners with several other groups within Houston County — community service initiatives, first responder groups, and more. Having members who work in education, the military, medicine and similar fields, the Notorious Ones often have contacts within organizations that allow them to easily create partnerships and have a mutual impact on the community.

“We get a lot of kids, a lot of families that come out, and we make it more of an event,” Freeman said. “It’s not just, ‘here, take this and go.’ We like to do something with the kids that’s positive, show them a different side and encourage them to continue on with their education — the good parts.”

In addition to acting as role models, these events allow club members to meet people within the community, other groups with similar interests that may want to do similar work in the future.

Freeman added that this work has not always been easy. At times, the Notorious Ones have had to fight against the preconceptions some may have about biker clubs.

“Most of the time, people look at a motorcycle club, and they think about gangs, perceptions they have from TV and the movies, but really we have a list of professionals, from managers to people in the medical field, people in high-level positions on the base — just a variety of professionals in our club,” Freeman said. “The majority of the club are veterans, prime military experience, some retired 20 years or more, some did a few years, one term.

“I think that one of the things that a lot of people are surprised once they get to know us — a lot of us, we have families, we’re a co-ed club, there are men and women in our club, and they’re all treated the same … When people get out and get to know us, they understand after that. But before that, they just see us riding the motorcycles.”

With the work they’ve done in Houston County, and the work they will continue to do, Freeman hopes to build a legacy of role models, of contributors to those less fortunate — a legacy that will direct others to build up their communities and help those in need.

In the coming future, the Notorious Ones will select two families to adopt for the Christmas holiday. After that, they’ll hold an anniversary event in April, where they’ll generate the revenue and raise the funds necessary to do the work they do throughout the year.

To assist in these upcoming events, or other community service efforts throughout the year, contact the club’s public information officer, Chris Jordan, at (478) 213-5458. You can also contact the Notorious Ones secretary at (478) 955-9078.

HHJ News