After a successful inaugural “Strikeouts for Vets” campaign in ’16, in which Carhartt teamed up with Giants P Madison Bumgarner to donate $125,500 to Helmets to Hardhats, the work clothing brand is reprising its charitable efforts in ’17. Carhartt Senior VP/Marketing Tony Ambroza, in speaking about the company’s continued relationship with Helmets to Hardhats since ‘14, cited a desire to help raise more awareness about the organization. Ambroza: “We thought it was the perfect opportunity to partner again with an organization focused on two things we want to support and address. Helmets to Hardhats helps men and women who served in the armed forces that don’t always have a direct line to a career path when they leave and look to transition and they are dedicated to addressing the gap in the skill trades.” Carhartt is expanding its “Strikeouts for Vets” campaign this season to include Red Sox P Chris Sale, Mets P Jacob deGrom, Mariners P Felix Hernandez, Indians P Corey Kluber and Tigers P Michael Fulmer.
THE GIVING TREE: For every strikeout recorded by each of those five players throughout the season, Carhartt will donate $100 to Helmets to Hardhats and will give an additional $25,000 if their strikeout total exceeds that of every other team’s starting five pitchers. Ambroza said, “What we really wanted to do after last year was find a way to bring (the campaign) to life in multiple cities and markets and make it something fans all over the country could participate in. Everybody has their own hometown fan favorite and we thought these five markets (Boston, Detroit, N.Y., Seattle and Cleveland) touch some pretty important markets where Carhartt is well recognized too.” After helping more than 120 veterans receive training and secure a career in the construction trades in ’16, Ambroza is confident they will surpass that number easily this year. Fans can follow the “Strikeouts for Vets” campaign on Facebook and Twitter and track the strikeout totals all season long.
