Football season is underway, and military families looking to catch a game without spending hundreds of dollars on tickets, may be able to get help from Vet Tix.
The nonprofit provides free tickets to sporting events, concerts, performing arts and family attractions for veterans, currently serving military members, first responders, and their families. Football is one of the most popular sports among Vet Tix members, with the organization partnering with more than half of the NFL’s 32 teams, along with college football programs across the country.
And for families with young kids, Steve Weintraub, chief strategy officer for Vet Tix, says the experience doesn’t have to involve a major NFL or Division I matchup. There’s also less pressure to stay through all four quarters if younger fans start losing interest.
“If you have to leave early, you don’t feel bad because you spent so much money on those tickets,” Weintraub said. “Even if you’re just there for the first quarter or you leave at halftime, it’s still a great value.”
It’s one example of how much the nonprofit has grown since its 2008 launch in the garage of Vet Tix’s founder and CEO, Navy veteran, Michael A. Focateto III.
40 million and counting
In August, the organization announced it had distributed more than 40 million tickets. Vet Tix and its first responder program, 1st Tix, now serve more than 2.8 million verified members.
The organization distributes roughly 25,000 to 30,000 tickets a day and recently reached another milestone: 1 million tickets distributed in 30 days.
Weintraub, who joined Vet Tix in 2016, says much of that growth has been made possible by the entertainment industry’s shift to electronic tickets.
Staff once had to sort physical tickets, hoping they reached recipients before the event. Digital ticketing allows donors to provide tickets much closer to an event – sometimes even the same day.
“For us, the paperless piece has really enabled us to distribute more and more tickets,” Weintraub said.
A World Cup reunion
This summer, Vet Tix distributed nearly 5,000 tickets to World Cup matches in all 11 U.S. host cities through a partnership with Bank of America.
One pair went to Army veteran Peter for the Iraq-Norway match in Foxborough, Massachusetts. In 2008 and 2009, Peter deployed to Baghdad, where he befriended an Iraqi interpreter. The two remained in contact after Peter returned home, and the interpreter eventually immigrated to the United States.
When Peter was selected for the tickets to see Iraq play in the World Cup, he immediately knew who he wanted to take.
“He reached out to his translator buddy and said, ‘You’re coming to this game,’” Weintraub said.
Years after the two served together in Iraq, they reunited for the match.
“It has been years since we’ve seen each other, and I honestly never imagined we’d one day be sitting side-by-side at a World Cup game in the United States. It feels like a truly full-circle moment,” Peter said in a press release.
“It was such a cool kind of bookend story,” Weintraub said. “You just never know what kind of experiences and stories come from these random events.”
Built for military families
Those experiences, Weintraub said, are ultimately what Vet Tix is all about.
Beyond sports, Vet Tix distributes tickets to concerts, festivals, performing arts, comedy shows, and family attractions, including Monster Jam and Disney on Ice.
Because donations can arrive at any time, Weintraub recommends members check their accounts and emails regularly.
“We never know what kind of tickets we’re going to get,” he said. “The event you’re looking for might just be in that notification.”
Military spouses can also access the family’s Vet Tix account when the service member is away. Members can add a spouse’s email address, allowing them to use the account during deployments, TDYs or other absences.
“The spouse can still take advantage of our mission and bring the kids or bring the girlfriends or guys to these events,” Weintraub said. “That’s what it’s designed for — the family, not just the sole account holder.”
For Weintraub, who spent time away from his own family because of military commitments, helping create those experiences has become personal.
“In the military and the veteran space, we tend to be servant leaders, and we want to give and serve,” he said. “I get to see the immediate impact of the gratitude our Vet Tix staff and I get from what we do.”
After 40 million tickets, there are a lot of memories behind that number — and with football season underway, plenty more still to come.
