The Warner Robins Jeep Club: Rolling out change in the local community

If you have a Jeep, what do you use it for? For some, it is simply a car that takes them from “A” to “B.” To some that are more adventurous, they take their Jeeps off the beaten trail by driving through the woods, rock-crawling or mudding.

Members of the Warner Robins Jeep Club enjoy a good time hitting the trails and doing some off-roading, but for the organization, they are also using their Jeeps as a vehicle for change in the community.

Self described as “an active group of Jeep enthusiasts who love all things Jeep,” they provide a gathering place for anyone in the community that owns a Jeep, from basic stock models, to Jeeps with crazy customizations and Jeeps that are outfitted for off-roading.

The non-profit started in 2011 with the intent of bringing like-minded hobbyists together — and in the years since, it has grown to be the largest Jeep Club in Middle Georgia, with 45 members currently in the club.

For four years, Brad Niebrand serves in more ways than one: He uses his spare time after his day job to serve as president of the Warner Robins Jeep Club. Speaking about the event at Andersonville, Niebrand said that the club is a good way to expose people to opportunities to serve their community as well.

Most recently, the Jeep Club took 14 of their Jeeps and met with two other clubs in the area to bring 32 Jeeps to Andersonville National Historic Site to place flags for Memorial Day. They placed flags on every gravestone on site — over 20,000 total.

“If I can introduce people through the Jeep Club that have never done this before, never known that we can do something like that — then I feel like we’re doing our part to educate people,” Niebrand said.

He described the group as like-minded people who simply want to help the community they live in.

“We’re always looking to help,” Niebrand said. “Most of club has got active duty military, retired military, active and retired police, firefighters, just your normal everyday citizens. It’s a mixed-group of people that all have the same goals in mind — and that’s to help.”

Their outreach hits closer to home. As an active organization in the community, the Jeep Club hosts various events throughout the year benefitting local charities, something that Niebrand felt is important in selecting a charity to sponsor.

“We try to find local charities, so the money stays right here; it stays in our community,” Niebrand said.

He also said that keeping the outreach local helps those in the community who are helping to see where the impact of their help is going.

“We look at our hometowns and see where we can help here,” Niebrand added. “A lot of people see in Warner Robins the big houses, the big neighborhoods. They don’t see the neighborhoods that are [struggling]. The neighborhoods that have children that need food, the parents that need help.

“With the Air Force Base — even when the recessions hit — we stayed pretty good, but there’s still a lot of blight in our communities. So if there’s things that we can do as a community to reach out and try to help, why wouldn’t we?”

In 2022, the Jeep Club has hosted multiple events, meet-and-greets and off-roading adventures. Most notably, the club held a “Topless Day” on May 21 to benefit Grace House Food Pantry. The club raised enough money to provide the food pantry with 15 tons of food.

“That will get [Grace House] through the summer,” Neibrand said. “Because when school lets out, a lot of kids that depended on school for breakfast and lunch aren’t going to get that. Now, [Grace House] has enough food to get through the summer to make sure these kids can come and get their food and not sit at home wondering what they’re going to eat.”

In April, the Jeep Club hosted a “Spell Jeep” event. Proceeds from that event helped the Genesis Joy House, a homeless shelter that supports female veterans.

Over the holiday season is when the club sees the most action. They partnered with Toys For Tots over this past year and are heavily involved in the operations that keep the local chapter running smoothly — from placing donation boxes, to collecting toys, to distributing them to families in need.

“I believe that every child should wake up to a gift,” Niebrand said. “We’re doing something to try and make sure that these kids have a decent Christmas.”

During his time as a single father, Niebrand took his experience and used it as inspiration to give back.

“I’ve gone through my hardships, but I always try and make the best of it,” he said. “I always try to look forward. I used to tell my sons, ‘we’re going to take this one second, one minute, one hour of every day, and we’ll get through everything, and when we come out, we’ll be smiling.’”

Niebrand admitted that while he is the face of the organization and has seen great efforts by the Jeep Club, all this outreach could not be done alone; partnering with charities has been monumental in the club’s efforts.

“It’s not just me,” Niebrand said. “It’s the groups of people…these people have a special calling to do what they do, and we assist. That’s what we’re here to do is help them any way we can, to make their organizations better and to make our community better.”

To see upcoming events and stay up to date with what the Jeep Club is planning, visit their Facebook page: Warner Robins Jeep Club.

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