A Pirate's Life For Me
Along the Eastern coast of Florida, amidst the old pirate haven of St. Augustine, one crew of sailors is still reveling in the pillaging and plundering life of the golden age of piracy. Well, not exactly pillaging and plundering. While the real-life pirates and privateers responsible for burning down St. Augustine back in 1586 (and again in 1702) had a more violent and selfish disposition, the Krewe of the 13 is committed to giving back to the community however they can.
When asked about his merry crew of pirates, Captain “Proper” Roger Allen said, “About once a month, we get together and go have a drink. We go to downtown St. Augustine, hand out coins to the kids — pirate coins to the kids — interact with tourists and locals, but the main work of the Krewe is to raise money to help families in dire need.”
Members of the Krewe may be following a call to the pirate’s life, wearing authentic garb from the golden age of piracy and trading treasured pirate coins with their shipmates, but their true mission is to bring a little joy to the people who need it most.
Bringing Joy and Comfort to Families in Dire Need
By “dire need,” the captain means that the families he and his crew help are in immediate danger of going without food, getting evicted from their homes, or being impacted in another serious way. “We focus on families who really have no other place to go. Who are, through no fault of their own, in dire straits,” said Captain Roger. To meet the Krewe’s criteria for intervention, it’s important that the families or individuals they are helping have fallen on rough times through no fault of their own.
“We don’t usually help where it’s not going to make a difference,” said Captain Roger. “If they’re going without food we’ll provide food. If the kids aren’t getting school supplies or clothing, we’ll do that. We typically don’t give cash. We’ll either pay rent directly to the landlord or we’ll give Publix gift cards for food or something like that. But we try and help them out, get them back on their feet.”
As a nonprofit organization, the Krewe of the 13 needs to raise all of the funds through donations and charity events each year. While there are smaller events and outings here and there, Captain Roger’s crew hosts two major events that support most of the organization’s annual expenses. Members dress in authentic pirate garb from the golden age of piracy, take pictures with local families, tourists and supporters, and keep the fun atmosphere burning bright.
Their spring event usually changes every year, but the casino night the crew organized last spring was such a big success that they’re planning on revisiting the idea again next year. In the fall, they will be throwing their annual Oktoberfest party. There’s always good food, drinks and treasure involved in their Oktoberfest: Specifically, a pirate chest with $500 worth of real half dollars spilling over the top going to the grand prize winner.
Most people think of gold doubloons and lavish jewels when imaging a trunk of pirate booty, but Captain Roger said the silver half dollars really catch people’s attention. While the Krewe of the 13 may not have their own personal chest of pirate treasure, they do have their own set of pirate coins that they value more than precious gold and silver.
The Krewe’s Pirate Treasure Challenge Coins
“Quite a few of the crew are either retired law enforcement, firemen, military, and we’re very familiar with the challenge coin concept,” said Captain Roger when asked about the unique pirate coins carried by each member of the charity. “We use them for two separate purposes. One is that if we have an out of town visitor or somebody we want to honor in some way, then, as the captain, I would give them a coin. It’s a mark of respect or thanks. And the other one is just as a game."
It wouldn’t be a crew of pirates without a drinking game. Just like many of the military groups, police departments and other teams famous for having custom challenge coins made, the members of the Krewe of the 13 will often coin check one another during events or social gatherings. If any member can’t produce their Krewe coin, then they owe the challenger a free drink.
Reflecting on the charity, Captain Roger said, “Four years ago, there were only 13 of us.” The custom coins he designed for his crew are a reflection of how much the organization has grown in that short amount of time. Today, they’re over 50 crewmates strong and on a steady course ahead. Like many of the nonprofit challenge coins we help create, Captain Roger wanted his crews’ coins to symbolize their mission and values. With their jolly roger emblem stamped into each coin, members are able to spread their message with all the people they meet, while also spreading a little pirate love in the process.
Wishing the Krewe Fair Winds and Following Seas On Their Voyage
For us here at Signature Coins, the Krewe of the 13 reminds us a little bit of the 501st Legion. Both groups focus on creating authentic garb and getting into character for charity events as a means of spreading love, support and a sense of fun to the people who need it most. While they are on a much smaller scale than the worldwide Star Wars group, the Krewe of the 13 are still making a huge difference.
We made the decision that we weren’t just going to write a check and give our money to another charity because we don’t know where it’s going.
We don’t want to work at these events and raise money and then hand it to another charity and then find that some percentage of it is going to their admin cost.
So we made the decision to help families directly so that we know that every penny we raise, actually more than every penny because some of our dues go towards it as well, goes to help families.”
From all of us here at Signature Coins, we wish the Krewe of the 13 fair winds and following seas on their mission. And if you find yourself in St. Augustine anytime soon, keep an eye out for pirates! Chances are, they’ll have a treasured pirate coin in their pocket ready for any challenger who crosses their path.
