May 26, 2009 (PHOENIX, Ariz.) – Are you a budding country singer with just the right “twang” in your voice?  Do you know every Toby Keith song and want a chance to meet him?  Are you currently Active Duty or a Veteran of the U.S. Military?  If you answered yes to these questions, your dreams might just come true as Veteran Tickets Foundation partners with the new Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill for VetTix “American Soldier Idol.”

Toby Keith’s I love this Bar and Grill, located at Mesa Riverview, 1065 N. Dobson Rd, Mesa AZ 85201, will open on June 3 with a special “invite only” party.  Prior to the event, Veteran Tickets Foundation will be hosting a singing contest, with the grand prize of an all access VIP package, including a meet and greet with Toby Keith.

“We really want our service men and women to know that this is a place they are always welcome,” said Frank Capri,” I Love this Bar and Grill Owner.  “We look forward to hosting our military members not only at our grand opening, but long into the future.”

Active duty or retired military members possessing a “powerful set of pipes” are asked to submit a maximum 60 second video of themselves singing the popular Toby Keith song, “I Love this Bar” via email  no later than 11:59 P.M. Thursday, May 28. 

The top five entries will be posted by 5 P.M. Friday, May 29 on www.VetTix.org for public voting.  Votes will be accepted through 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, May 31 with the winner being announced on Monday, June 1 at 10 A.M. on the Website. 

The winner of “American Soldier Idol” and three of his or her friends will receive a VIP experience including:

·         One room, one night accommodation at the Scottsdale Hyatt Place Hotel

·         Limo transportation to and from Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill provided by Lexani Limo

·         Four all access VIP passes for the grand opening party at Toby Keith’s I love this Bar and Grill beginning at 4 P.M. with media press conference

·         $50 restaurant credit

·         Private meet and greet with Toby Keith

“VetTix is honored to have been asked to participate in this a once in a lifetime event,” said VetTix President and CEO Michael Focareto.  “It’s well known that Toby Keith is a champion for the military, and our cause fits hand in hand.”

Additionally, “I Love this Bar and Grill” has donated 100 passes to Veteran Tickets Foundation to distribute to the Grand Opening as a way of saying thank you to military members and Veterans.

Media contact: Heather Gray, VP Public Relations at 602-703-4729.

About VTF

Veterans Tickets Foundation is a national non-profit, non-governmental 501c (3) tax-exempt organization whose mission is simple: Give something to those who gave. The group gives without prejudice free tickets to all Veterans, Active Duty Service Members and their families as a way of saying “thank you.” All contributions made to the organization are deductible under section 170 of the IRS Code. To learn more about the Veteran Tickets Foundation, please visit www.VetTix.org.

Arizona Guard, Vets Treated to D-backs Military Appreciation Day
Actor D. B. Sweeney to Touch Base with Service Members and their Families

PHOENIX, Ariz.(May 18, 2009) — On Memorial Day, Chase Field is where they’ll come.

Recently returned Arizona Guardsmen, survivors of their fallen brethren and Arizona veterans will be among 1,200 military guests at Military Appreciation Day, courtesy of the Diamondbacks, TriWest Healthcare Alliance and the Veteran Tickets Foundation (VTF).

Actor and VTF Advisory Board member D.B. Sweeney will join VTF to present game tickets at 10 a.m. game day to veterans in transition at U.S. Vets- Phoenix, 804 E. Jones Ave., Phoenix. He also will visit with the military guests at the game. “Many of the veterans we serve have never been to a professional baseball game and this is a very special way to honor them,” said U.S. Vets Director Brad Bridwell.

TriWest and VTF have reserved the entire Miller Lite Diamond Club for the game with 200 seats all reserved for the military guests and their families. “Those in uniform and their families are sacrificing a great deal for our freedom, and providing them with a few tangible and enjoyable hours away from their responsibilities is one way to acknowledge that and let them know we appreciate what they do,” said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr.
 
The VTF Diamondback ticket sponsorship is part of TriWest’s Military May Days initiative, sponsoring an event each day in May, National Military Appreciation Month.
 
“I want to bring attention to the important mission of the Veteran Tickets Foundation and to say ‘thank you’ to those who serve,” said Sweeney, who acted in films such as Gardens of Stone, Memphis Belle, Fire in the Sky, The Cutting Edge, No Man’s Land, Spawn, Yellow, Roommates and Eight Men Out.