November 7, 2012
(Seattle) – Donations of free event tickets to U.S. military and their families by the Veteran Tickets Foundation (also known as “Vet Tix”), have increased by 20 percent to an average of 2,300 free tickets per week due to a new partnership with Brown Paper Tickets, the Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing company. Veterans and active U.S. military are encouraged to sign up for lifetime access to free tickets to events ranging from cooking classes to the Super Bowl at http://www.vettix.org/signup.php, so that no ticket goes to waste.
“Some of these free tickets have gone without being claimed due to veterans not knowing about them,” said Michael A. Focareto, a U.S. Navy veteran and the chief executive officer/founder of Vet Tix, a nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to matching donated and unused tickets with U.S. military and their families. “These tickets mean everything to veterans, some of whom tell us that this is the first time anyone has said ‘thank you’ for their service. Please share this story in personal conversations and on social media today about how to sign up for this amazing free benefit to those who have served our country.”
Since 2008, Vet Tix has given more than 478,000 event tickets in all 50 States and Washington, D.C. to U.S. military, veterans and their families, with an estimated face value of well over $17 million. More than 3,300 tickets were donated through Brown Paper Tickets in the first eight weeks of the partnership.
“Many artists, bands, sports teams, venues and people who organize events are attracted to Brown Paper Tickets because of our business ethos of giving, as we make a donation to nonprofits with every ticket sold, and how we “do more for less,” by offering our services free to event producers, who can then exceed their fans’ expectations with the lowest ticketing fee in the industry,” said William S. Jordan, president and founder of Brown Paper Tickets. The world’s only Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing company is also the only company in the ticketing industry with a commitment to regular donations of free tickets to veterans, and has become the largest single donor of tickets to servicemen and women through Vet Tix. “We think that saying ‘thank you’ to those who have served our country is the right thing to do every day, not just on Veterans Day.”
With one click, anyone producing an event through Brown Paper Tickets may choose to donate a portion of the tickets to Vet Tix to give to qualified U.S. military. Event producers are also be able to allow their ticket-buyers to purchase extra tickets to be donated to veterans.
“Brown Paper Tickets is proud to help event producers and ticket buyers to donate tickets to veterans and their families,” Jordan said. “As part of our Not-Just-For-Profit business model, we look for opportunities to inspire giving, such as this partnership with Vet Tix to give back to those who put their lives on the line for our freedom.”
Here are some messages of gratitude that Vet Tix received from veterans who have used tickets donated by the event producers on Brown Paper Tickets:
“A big thank you for the passes to the Rose City Comic-Con. If it wasn’t for you I would not have been able to take my sons to this event. They had such a good time. I remember going to this event when I was about their age and it was priceless to see the look on their faces as we walked around and looked at the different exhibits. Thank You!” – posted by Jim, Sept. 10, 2012. Jim is currently serving in the U.S. military and attended Rose City Comic-Con in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2012.
“Thanks for the ticket to the comedy show. The show is hilarious…haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Greatly appreciated!” – posted by Edgar, Aug. 28, 2012. Edgar is currently serving in the U.S. military and attended “Reinforcing Stereotypes – A Night of Stand Up Comedy” in San Francisco, California, Aug. 24, 2012.
Those who receive tickets must be active duty U.S. military, a veteran, a spouse or a primary next of kin of someone who was killed in action. Those qualified must enroll online to be able to receive the benefit of free tickets at: http://www.vettix.org/signup.php. For more information about how to donate tickets to veterans, go to http://www.VetTix.org/, or go to http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com.
About Vet Tix: Veteran Tickets Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to acknowledging the extraordinary service of Veterans- the kind of people who volunteer to serve their country, put their nation first and own lives second- the kind of people we need to honor every day. We carry out our mission of appreciation by providing free and discounted event tickets to Veterans and Active Duty Service Members.
About Brown Paper Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets (http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com), the Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing company, revolutionized the industry by putting free, professional tools for ticketing any-sized gathering on the Internet, and continues to champion the rights of ticket-buyers with the lowest fee for the most service in the industry. The company donates a portion of each ticket sale to nonprofits, pays its employees to work 40 hours each year for the cause of their choosing, and employs a team of “Doers,” experts in industries such as music, new media, makers, roller derby and more, to fix, improve and revolutionize the communities where we live, work and play.