Thursday, May 22, 2014

A Simple Way to Thank Veterans on Memorial Day



Anyone Can Purchase Tickets for Veterans as a Way to Say Thank You for Their Military Service. More Than $900,000 in Event Tickets Have Been Already Been Donated to Military Families Through Brown Paper Tickets.

May 22, 2014 (Seattle) – Tickets valued at more than $900,000 to events nationwide have already been delivered to active or honorably discharged U.S. military personnel and their families, as well as to the families of those who gave their life in U.S. military service, through Brown Paper Tickets Salutes.

Socially conscious Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing service Brown Paper Tickets has created this easy way for anyone to purchase tickets, and for event organizers to provide tickets for verified U.S. military members as a way of saying “thank you for serving our country.” More than 45,000 event tickets have been donated and delivered through Brown Paper Tickets Salutes since the program began July 4, 2012.

“Brown Paper Tickets is helping us to provide the gift of tickets every day of the year, not just on Memorial Day, Veterans Day or Independence Day,” said Michael A. Focareto, a U.S. Navy veteran and founder of Veteran Tickets Foundation, also known as Vet Tix, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that matches donated tickets with U.S. military personnel and their families. Vet Tix verifies military service records, giving donors the confidence of knowing that their gift will be enjoyed only by those who served. “These free tickets to events mean everything to veterans, some of whom tell us that this is the first time anyone has ever said ‘thank you’ for their service.”

“The donation of more than $900,000 in tickets in less than 2 years means that our event organizers and ticket buyers just needed an easy way to express their gratitude,” said William S. Jordan, founder of Brown Paper Tickets. “We are honored to have created this simple way for anyone to say ‘thank you’ with a gift that shares the joy and community created by live events with those who have served.”

Tickets to music festivals, comic book conventions, sporting events, comedy shows, farm-to-table dinners, cooking classes, plays, concerts, burlesque shows, roller derby bouts and many more have been a part of the $900,000 ticket donation. “The donation of free tickets from event organizers working with Brown Paper Tickets has dramatically widened the range of ways that veterans can relax, enjoy themselves and share smiles with their families and loved ones,” Focareto said. “For some, these event tickets can help with their re-integration into civilian life.”

Anyone can browse Brown Paper Tickets Salutes to find events that have donated tickets through the program. Military personnel, veterans and the immediate family members of those who gave their life in U.S. military service can also find a link on the site to sign up through Vet Tix to have their military service verified prior to accessing the donated tickets.

For more information, or to help get the word out to military families by sharing this donation program on social media, go to Brown Paper Tickets Salutes at http://community.brownpapertickets.com/LP/BPTsalutes/.

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