TEMPE, Ariz. (KNXV) — What began as a simple idea to fill empty stadium seats has become a nationwide lifeline of gratitude for veterans and first responders — and a milestone measured in memories.
Veteran Tickets Foundation, better known as Vet Tix, has now distributed more than 40 million free event tickets to veterans, service members, first responders and their families, founder and CEO Michael Focareto III said.
“In the beginning, we were just trying to change the community and take some vets to a baseball game,” Focareto said. “Here we are, 18 years later, 40 million tickets given away. It turned into something mind-boggling.”
The mission is simple but focused: Vet Tix “gives something to those who gave,” said Steven Weintraub, the organization’s chief strategy officer. The nonprofit distributes free tickets to sporting events, concerts, performing arts and family entertainment as a way to thank veterans, service members and first responders for their service and sacrifice.
Focareto, a U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1988 to 1993 as a nuclear machinist’s mate aboard the USS Virginia, said the idea took shape after he noticed large swaths of empty seats at a Super Bowl.
“I said, you know what would be cool? If someone created an organization where they could just donate those tickets and we can give those out,” he said.
In its first year, Vet Tix distributed about 2,800 tickets. By the second year, that number jumped to 30,000. Today, Focareto said, the organization is distributing about 30,000 tickets a day.
The growth has been just as dramatic inside the organization. When Weintraub joined Vet Tix in 2016, there were about eight staff members. Today, there are more than 30 employees, most of them in technology and ticketing, supporting an operation that now serves millions.
Shortly after Weintraub came on board, Vet Tix celebrated its 3 millionth ticket. Now, with 40 million tickets distributed, he said the organization expects to hit 50 million in less than a year.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Weintraub said. “We wanted to grow. We grew. But we didn’t think we would grow as much as we did as fast as we did.”
The Phoenix metro area is one of the clearest examples of Vet Tix’s reach.
Across the Valley, Vet Tix has more than 69,800 verified Vet Tix members and more than 14,000 verified 1stTix members, its program for first responders. Since 2008, those members have received over 2,687,219 tickets for more than 21,154 local events.
Those tickets have taken veterans and first responders to everything from major league games and concerts to small community events.
“When we first started this, I was amazed at what we got tickets to and how important they were to people,” Focareto said, recalling early giveaways that ranged from headline concerts to backyard plays and taco festivals.
He remembers being surprised by the reaction to tickets for a Yanni concert — not his personal preference, he said — but a cherished night out for those who attended.
“We looked at the testimonials. Everyone’s in suits and in dresses,” he said. “I’m like, wow, we gave away something that someone really wanted to go to.”
Both Focareto and Weintraub say the real impact of Vet Tix is found in the stories they hear from the people they serve.
Many veterans and first responders live on tight budgets, choosing between rent, food, school clothes and other essentials. Tickets to major events — especially for a family — are often out of reach.
“We hear it all the time,” Focareto said. “Because of you, I was able to take my kid to a first NFL game. Because of you, I was able to take my kids to a first baseball game or monster truck show. All these things that are basically out of reach for the majority of people.”
Vet Tix and its sister organization 1stTix focus heavily on family-friendly events: Monster Jam, Disney on Ice, the Harlem Globetrotters, minor league sports and college games, among others. Weintraub said those experiences help rebuild connections that service can strain.
“When you’re serving in the military, you miss family events. You miss anniversaries, recitals, birthdays,” he said. “After you’ve served, or even while you’re serving, if we can send our members to these events with their family and friends to make up for that lost time and rebuild those relationships, that’s what it’s about.”
Vet Tix operates on a delivery fee model that keeps access low-cost for members. For any transaction on the website, the delivery fee ranges from $1.97 to $16.97 — and never exceeds $16.97, even for the most expensive tickets.
“If you get Super Bowl tickets, $16.97. World Series tickets, $16.97. National championship tickets, $16.97,” Focareto said.
He recalled a recent Super Bowl package in Arizona: 50-yard-line seats, 12th row, VIP hotel and all-inclusive experience, valued at about $40,000.
“Someone got it for 16 bucks,” he said.
Those delivery fees, Focareto said, pay Vet Tix’s overhead and fund additional ticket purchases. The organization uses surplus revenue to buy tickets directly from partners, making Vet Tix itself one of its largest donors.
“We’re currently our fourth largest donor on record,” he said.
Weintraub said that approach — not just asking for donations, but also spending with teams and venues — has changed the way partners view Vet Tix.
“We’re not going to just have our hand out here,” he said. “We’re also going to partner with you and spend with you and make it so that everyone’s in a win-win situation.”
Today, Vet Tix works with major professional teams, NCAA programs and minor league clubs, as well as concert promoters, arts organizations and local venues, often in smaller communities where minor league and local events are the centerpiece of family entertainment.
Veterans, service members and first responders can sign up at VetTix.org or 1stTix.org. It is free to join, and members are verified through ID.me to ensure the tickets go to those who have served.
“People have told me they’ve signed up in less than five minutes,” Weintraub said.
Once verified, members receive notifications about events in their area and can request tickets through the website or mobile app.
For donors, the process is just as straightforward. Cash donations can be made through the “Donate” button on the Vet Tix website. One hundred percent of every dollar donated goes to buying tickets, Weintraub said. Donors can also give tickets directly and receive a tax deduction through the organization’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
As Vet Tix pushes beyond 40 million tickets toward its next milestone, Focareto said the mission remains the same.
“Every single day we come in here, all we want to do is more,” he said. “We’re not happy with where we are. We’re at 30,000 tickets a day now. We want to get to 100,000 tickets a day — so more people can experience what some people are experiencing now.”
