Lt. Col. Dan Rooney found a new life-changing mission on the flight home from his second tour of duty in Iraq.

The flight was carrying the remains of Cpl. Brock Bucklin. As the plane landed, Rooney watched as Bucklin’s twin brother accompanied the flag-draped casket, walking the fallen serviceman to his heartbroken family. Bucklin’s young son, Jacob, was among them.

The Folds of Honor 3D Patch Cotton Rope hat is part of the Imperial x Folds of Honor collection.

In these wrenching moments, the roots of the nonprofit Rooney would form took hold. Folds of Honor, as the organization is called, provides scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen and disabled U.S. service members, as well as first responders. “On our watch, those who protect our freedoms and our families will know they are not forgotten,” Folds of Honor says on its website.

It’s a mission Imperial (asi/75945) believes in.

That’s why the headwear brand, whose products sell at retail and in the promotional products industry, is throwing its support behind Folds of Honor with a new collaboration campaign.

The Missouri-headquartered hatmaker has launched the Imperial x Folds of Honor collection.

Available now exclusively on the Imperial website, the collection features eight cap styles, a T-shirt and a crewneck sweatshirt, all of which bear the nonprofit’s folded flag logo – a poignant symbol of sacrifice, patriotism and hope. Sales help support Folds of Honor.

Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor.

“We encourage everyone to help support the Folds of Honor mission by purchasing products from this collaboration,” Imperial said in a statement.

Sales of blank headwear in the promotional products market do not contribute to the initiative, a spokesperson told ASI Media. However, industry distributors whose end-clients like the style of the caps in the collection can find them in blanks too, the supplier noted. The collection includes Folds of Honor-branded versions of blank styles such as the S1505 The Dyno and the X210R The Alter Ego.

Counselor Top 40 company Sportsman Cap & Bag (asi/88877) is a leading supplier of Imperial caps in promo, with other suppliers, such as Counselor Top 40 firm S&S Activewear (asi/84358), helping as distribution partners.

Imperial has created other “Giveback Collections” of headwear, including initiatives that have supported breast cancer research.