Operation Hat Trick

In 2007, Dot Sheehan was listening to a Boston radio station when she heard about a trivia contest that was underway.

One question was: “What’s the one thing most wanted by head-wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?”

The answer: Baseball caps to cover wounds, burns, swelling and bandages.

From this simple answer, Operation Hat Trick, an organization dedicated to helping veterans suffering from the visible and invisible wounds of war, was born.

Sheehan was so affected by this she knew she had to do something. She founded the project, initially donating hats to Veterans Administration Medical Centers and selling them locally. But things changed dramatically in 2012 when Operation Hat Trick (OHT) grew to national scale.

Operation Hat Trick’s brand and mission are now embraced by more than 330 colleges and universities in all 50 states, 165 high schools, 21 National Hockey League teams, 70 Minor League baseball teams, 15 NBA teams, and more than 100 companies who help spread the word about our veterans and our obligation to them. The list of new OHT licensees and supporters continues to grow.

Pursuing a recommendation by Peter Archibald ’65, the MMA Alumni Relations Office contacted OHT to inquire about participation in, and support of, this worthwhile cause. After a few phone calls and branding inquiries, Maine Maritime Academy is proud to announce its participation and support in Operation Hat Trick. The initial order of ball caps arrived in December.

Purchasing the first five caps, the Alumni Association sent them to Archibald for his initiative, and to Team MMA (Eric Smith ’88, swimmer, and his support team of Holly Najarian ’91, Pat Duffy ’88 and Tim Reid ’88) for their participation in the Navy SEAL Foundation Tampa Bay Frogman 5k Swim.

A portion of the proceeds from each cap sale is donated to OHT. Contact the MMA Bookstore at (207) 326-9333 for your OHT cap.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Comments are moderated and will be reviewed prior to posting online. Please be aware that when you submit a comment, you agree to the following rules:

  • Be respectful and considerate of others in your tone and content.
  • Use your own words and communicate clearly and concisely.
  • Do not use abusive language, obscenities, or otherwise objectionable content under any circumstances.
  • Do not impersonate or make false statements about someone else.
  • Do not use commenting to advertise, campaign or recruit.
  • Feel free to use your real name, but please do not post other personal or private information.

Maine Maritime Academy reserves the right to delete any comment that does not comply with these guidelines and is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users. If you have a message for the editor, please email mariner@mma.edu.