A Mustache, A Mission, A Movement

Chris Boswell honored with VCIC Humanitarian Award--his commitment to Lynchburg’s youth has raised millions and built a legacy of care.

For Chris Boswell, a change in high schools when he was 15 years old also meant a lifelong change in perspective.

Boswell is a 2025 recipient of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Award for his leadership and dedication to the youngest members of the Lynchburg community.

He said his heart for service truly began when he was a young man after he moved from the West End of Richmond to Martinsville and began attending an urban school.

Through sports, Boswell made friends who came from all different backgrounds and opened his eyes to the true needs of his community’s youth. He saw a demonstrated need for support beginning in early childhood, and it was the inception of his journey to even the playing field for all children.

“There were a lot of good guys who didn’t have that base, and so that’s where it starts,” Boswell said.

Boswell has always aspired to use his big personality and presence to serve others. Through tutoring special needs children in Richmond elementary schools, performing mission work with his Martinsville church, and supporting the Martinsville Boys and Girls Club, he began to live this service-driven purpose in his youth and early adulthood.

In 2006, a few years after moving to Lynchburg, Boswell was asked to serve on the board of the newly established Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg. He said his time on that board helped him understand the great need of local nonprofits. Boswell’s wheels started turning after a board meeting when he called a friend who facilitated a fundraiser called Mustaches 4 Kids “M4K” in Richmond.

The idea is simple – individuals participate in M4K by shaving their face at the beginning of November and spend the month “growing” a mustache while fundraising. In 2014, the first year of M4K Lynchburg, 32 growers raised $34,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg.

Since then, M4K Lynchburg has expanded to nearly 300 growers and raised $610,000 in 2024 for dozens of Central Virginia nonprofit organizations serving children, for a total of $3.4 million raised in 11 years.

“We figured out that the need was bigger than we thought, so therefore why not keep growing, and keep helping as many as we possibly can,” Boswell said of M4K Lynchburg, which he started with his friend Lanny Duncan.

By donating proceeds to organizations ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters and Jubilee Family Development Center to the Miller Home for Girls and Park View Mission, M4K Lynchburg has provided support for hundreds of children in the Lynchburg community.

“It’s all kid-focused, and I’ve had a special place in my heart for kids and helping kids as long as I can remember, and protecting those who [aren’t] protected, whether that be from poverty or bullies,” Boswell said.

Members of the M4K grower community don’t just donate money – they step in to help whenever it’s needed, such as packing backpacks so local students can have meals on the weekend when they are not in school.

Boswell said it’s important for M4K to support the entertainment activities Lynchburg has to offer its youngest residents as well, such as Bright Nights on the Bluffwalk and the July Fireworks on the Riverfront event.

“Kids have got to have fun – they have to experience Christmas lights and fireworks,” he said. “Those are the things you remember from when you were a kid.”

Having fun is part of the mission of M4K as well, according to Boswell. He hopes to see even more mustaches this November as the organization moves into its 12th year.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. It takes a village,” he said. “…To build a legacy for some of those kids who have suffered more than others, and to help families that really need it has been eye-opening.”