From first learning to swing, to achieving college scholarships and professional excellence, award-winning PGA Pro, visionary and change agent Gerry Hammond has been a beloved coach and mentor to hundreds of young people. For over 25 years, he’s used golf as a tool to teach integrity, discipline, academic excellence, teamwork and service.
More than 80 Hammond Golf Academy students have earned scholarships, becoming doctors, lawyers, educators, entrepreneurs, and even professional golfers.
Unity is the goal. Compassion is the guidance. Humanity is the gift.
We at the Be Counted On Foundation believe every individual can change the world. We work to build upon innate and unique human abilities within the scope of Education , Health, Social Justice and our Environment to equip the global race with the skills needed to make our planet a more inclusive and fruitful place to live for all.
Blue. Black. Red. Yellow. Green.
Be Counted On’s colors represent unity, showcasing a color from every flag around the globe.
We strategically chose this array of colors to represent the unifying identity of Be Counted On.
Basic literacy and numeracy skills can bridge the divide between poverty and hope, yet over 750 million people in the world are illiterate. Two-thirds of these are women, and almost all live in developing countries. BCO partners with groups who create learning opportunities for those who have little or no access to quality education. Even in the United States, nearly 20% of teenagers don’t finish high school and the number is considerably higher in communities of color, where the hopelessness that emerges from the pathologies of poverty, crime and gangs creates enormous impediments to children learning. We will strive to understand and address root causes, rather than merely treating the symptoms.
While education provides significant social and economic returns, the number of years in school is not enough. It is the acquisition of knowledge and skills (cognitive and behavioral) achieved through quality education, rather than schooling alone that promotes employability, productivity and growth.
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Responsible environmental stewardship is critical to ensuring our planet endures for generations to come. Finding new forms of sustainable energy, cleaning up toxic waste, and protecting our air, water and natural resources are all immediate and pressing concerns. An estimated 150-200 species of plant, animal and bird life become extinct every day. Nearly 40% of America’s lakes are too polluted for swimming, and there is over one ton of plastic garbage on earth for every one of its 7.3 billion citizens. By funding organizations and individuals who are committed to saving the planet, BCO will harness the power of numbers to help make environmental protections and sustainability a reality.
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We believe all people have a fundamental right to live free of disease. Even in this day and age, horrors like typhoid, malaria, and cholera still infect millions of people who live in unsanitary conditions driven by poverty and conflict. Today, one third of the world’s population lacks access to essential medicines and vaccinations. In the poorest parts of Africa and Asia this figure rises to half of the population. It is particularly devastating to children, claiming the lives of over 16,000 each day, 45% of those dying within the first four weeks of life. In first-world countries (including America), heart disease and cancer are leading causes of death and dozens of other diseases have treatments but no cure. BCO will promote public awareness and education around many health risks and invest in medical research, treatment and prevention to address the spread of diseases. Further, we will advocate for the affordable production and availability of vaccinations and medicines needed to treat the most common neglected global infectious diseases.
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In countries around the globe, people are denied social justice and deprived of the basic human rights many of us take for granted. The right to be free from cruelty, torture and slavery. The right to practice one’s beliefs without prejudice or persecution. The right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness. These rights, however, will only ever be as secure as our willingness to defend and extend them to all people, regarldess of who they are or where they live. BCO supports important social justice initiatives and the work of organizations that fight to defend social justice at home and around the world.
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Be Counted On’s commitment to supporting meaningful change begins with investing in people and organizations working within the areas of education, disaster relief, health and social justice.
The Be Counted On Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, organized under the laws of Ohio, recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
ITN is a global apparel company fueled by accountability – to ourselves, to each other, to the world, and to something greater than ourselves.
