Seats For Soldiers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the fourth year in a row, Arkansas Athletics is partnering with the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) to help former and active U.S. servicemen and women and their families attend Razorback football and baseball games this season.

Razorback fans were asked on ticket renewal forms and during ticket transactions made over the phone and online if they would like to donate $25 to Razorback Athletics’ “Seats for Soldiers” program. Those tickets were then made available to Vet Tix to distribute to their network of more than 442,986 verified veterans and dependents.

“The University of Arkansas takes great pride in recognizing our armed forces veterans,” Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Sales Charlie Arviso said. “Our relationship with the Veteran Tickets Foundation has provided an outlet for our fans to give back to those who have sacrificed their time for our nation’s security. It is through this generosity of Razorback fans across the state that we are able to offer veterans tickets to both games in Fayetteville and Little Rock in 2016. The Razorback Athletic department is working with various agencies to make our veterans a top priority in 2016 and beyond. In this way we can express a small measure of gratitude for their service.”

In the past two years, more than 2,180 football and baseball tickets have been donated to Vet Tix by Razorback fans. About 300 tickets to this Saturday’s game against Texas State have been requested by verified U.S. military veterans and their families.

“Thank you once again for awesome seats to see the Hogs play,” said username Meagan, a U.S. Navy veteran from 2007-15 who attended the Mississippi State-Arkansas game in 2015, according to an online testimonial on VetTix.org. “It was awesome to see my son’s eyes light up at the game!”

Vet Tix, a non-profit organization that supports the military community by providing tickets to various events and activities to currently serving military, veterans and their families, has given away more than 2.27 million event tickets to verified military personnel and their dependents since 2008.

“Over the years, we’ve come to realize the power of a free ticket and a shared experience is something that goes beyond more than we’ve hoped for,” VetTix CEO Eddie Rausch said. “We get a lot of servicemen and women that come back, have spent lots of time away from their families and they’ve seen things that change them and make it harder for them to transition to a civilian lifestyle. These tickets to events act as a bridge that helps them connect with their families and communities.”

According to a 2013 report published by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, 5,694 Arkansans are classified as active duty military and about 250,000 state residents have served in conflicts dating as far back as the Second World War.

“Thanks for the tickets to the game, they really meant a lot to both myself, and my family,” said username John, a U.S. Air Force veteran from 1987-2011 who also attended the 2015 Mississippi State game. “It allowed us to spend some much needed time together.”

For more information on how to donate to Vet Tix, visit their website at www.vettix.org or contact the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-4647 or 479-575-5151.