One of the owners of The M Den, Scott Hirth, remembers receiving that awful phone call about Chad Carr’s DIPG diagnosis in September 2015. Michigan football had a home game against Brigham Young.
“They were going to do something around the football game,” he said. “It started with, ‘Hey can you carry these wristbands and try to get as many people to buy them and wear them? We’re working for a miracle here.’”
Of course, whatever you need, was Hirth’s response. His heart was broken and devastated by the news, but he was hopeful and wanted to do whatever he could to help.
“‘Whatever you guys need,’” he had said. “’Whatever Athletics needs, whatever the family needs, whatever you need us to do here at The M Den.’ We were going to stop everything to do whatever we could to help.”
That commitment turned into carrying wristbands, t-shirts, and becoming the foundation’s official merchandiser. “All the profits go back to the foundation,” said Hirth. “Whenever Tammi and the foundation have a need for anything merchandise related – we are there to help.”
Now, after more than three years, The M Den has become an official partner of the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation.
“The M Den has provided incredible support to ChadTough,” said Tammi Carr. “Scott and The M Den have been there for ChadTough since day one, starting with the Pray For A Miracle/#CHADTOUGH orange bracelets. Scott has provided gear for RunTough and the gala, and sells merchandise with all proceeds going back to the foundation. Whatever we need, he has been there! They really helped us to build the foundation of ChadTough, and now we are so thrilled to call them official partners.”
Scott Hirth wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re partners with the Michigan athletic department, we’re partners with the alumni association, we’re partners in many, many ways around this university,” he said. “And now we can say we’re a partner of the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation as well.”
“Yes, there’s money involved, but that isn’t the point. The point is, we’re partners trying to help this family make something good out of a devastating event. That’s what we’re doing.”
The M Den has been the official retailer of University of Michigan Athletics for more than 20 years. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, the M Den maintains a physical connection to the university and its programs that helps them continually expand their offering of merchandise to enhance the Michigan experience for alumni, faculty, fans, and current students. To learn more, visit mden.com. To order ChadTough gear through The M Den, visit www.ChadTough.org/shop.
