As the name implies, the annual Hackers and Slackers charity golf tournament hosted every May by Baker Audio Visual isn’t about attracting the best duffers in the world—but it does have a serious purpose of raising as much money as possible for The Shepherd Center. [related]
The first four years of the event have generated more than $110,000 for the Atlanta-based research and rehabilitation center that helps victims of brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and other neurological issues in their recovery—but Baker AV wants to do even more.
“One of the missions Baker Audio Visual lives by is being able to support our local community,” says Kasie Grant, marketing manager at Baker Audio Visual. “To us, they were a natural choice. They’ve touched so many lives.
“You don’t want to have to see them, but if they are needed, you’re very happy they’re there. We have such an enormous amount of respect for what they’re doing,” she says.
Part of the attraction of the Hackers and Slackers tournament is that it’s played on a private course in the Manor Golf and Country Club in Milton, Ga., home of some Atlanta Braves and Falcons players as well as some of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
But the event is also increasingly popular with people who have been helped by the work of The Shepherd Center, says Grant, noting some Baker AV employees themselves have benefitted from the center’s research and rehab initiatives.
In addition to patients and family members of Shepherd Center patients, the tournament also attracts Baker AV industry partners, manufacturers and friends, along with the CEO and doctors from The Shepherd Center every year.
Why Baker AV Helps The Shepherd Center
The Shepherd Center does what Grant calls “transformative work” for patients and their families on a global scale.
In addition to treating victims of multiple sclerosis and other issues, the center also has a program for military veterans, both those currently serving and those who have served since Sept. 11, 2001.
Grant finds it especially compelling that The Shepherd Center emphasizes rehabilitation for its patients.
“If something like that were to happen to me, it would be hard to feel like I can’t go forward,” she says. “They’re giving these patients and their families hope. They’re showing them how to live.
“They’re showing them this is a new beginning in their lives. It’s not the end of something. They can continue,” says Grant.
Baker AV is proud of its association with an Atlanta-based charity, and Grant says she’s been happy with the response Hackers and Slackers has gotten in its first few years, but knows it can grow even bigger.
“We’ve been in Atlanta more than 66 years,” she says. “Over that time, we’ve been able to form some really incredible relationships. People ask almost immediately about the next tournament and upping their participation. We’ve been really fortunate in that way.
“We don’t take the golf as seriously. You don’t have to be good at golf to play in this tournament. We really just want everybody to come out and have fun and raise money for The Shepherd Center,” says Grant.
Baker AV’s charitable work—which also includes donations to the HopeWay and Blue Angels Foundation—comes from what Grant calls “a strong sense of community.”
“We’ve been here in this area for a long time,” she says. “Atlanta has done so much for us that it only makes sense that we do what we can to give back.”
Coming next Monday: The next installment in our Connected to the Community series. If you know about an AV or IT company doing something good, email executive editor Craig MacCormack at [email protected].
