
Carhartt, with the help of Madison Bumgarner and his 251 strikeouts, has donated a total of $125,000 to Helmets to Hardhats, a non-profit that assists veterans in finding jobs. Carhartt released a short video to mark the conclusion of its “Strikeouts for Vets” campaign, which took place throughout the duration of the 2016 baseball season. The video features a check presentation from pitcher Madison Bumgarner, and a brief message to those players who graciously struck out throughout the season for a good cause.
Fellow players Adam Duvall, A.J. Reed, Jon Jay, and Matt Adams – each of whom were among the batters Bumgarner struck out in 2016 – are also featured in the video, where they express enthusiasm in sacrificing their batting averages to help raise $125,500 for veterans. Helmets to Hardhats is a national nonprofit program that helps military service members successfully transition back into civilian life by offering them the means to secure a quality career in the building, trade, and construction industries.
“When Madison agreed to help support our country’s hardworking military service veterans, we knew one of the hardest working pitchers in baseball would raise the bar,” said Tony Ambroza, senior vice president of marketing at Carhartt. “With the help of Madison and all those he struck out throughout the season, we’re able to support Helmets to Hardhats in a meaningful way, because everyone deserves a quality career in the skilled trades — especially those who have served our country.”
Bumgarner finished the season ranked third in his league with 251 strikeouts, setting a new career high, surpassing his 2015 total of 234 strikeouts.
“Our program services are free to military service members and veterans. So raising money to help these men and women is very important, because it can cost nearly $1,000 to help a veteran,” said Darrell Roberts, executive director of Helmets to Hardhats. “This donation will help 125 veterans secure a quality career. On behalf of the Helmets to Hardhats organization, I’d like to thank Carhartt for making the pledge, and Madison for setting a new career high in strikeouts this season.”
Carhartt became a proud supporter of Helmets to Hardhats in 2014. Carhartt’s “Made In The USA” products feature hangtags that promote awareness for Helmets to Hardhats, and Carhartt has pledged to donate funds annually to Helmets to Hardhats, regardless of sales.