The Jet Linx St. Louis hangar filled up with guests from the local Brackets For Good non-profits and sponsors

On February 13, Jet Linx St. Louis hosted the Brackets Food Good annual pep rally in their private hangar at Lambert International Airport. This is the St. Louis base’s second year sponsoring the organization, which uses online bracket tournaments to raise money for local nonprofit organizations. Held every March, 64 organizations start on the bracket and compete to raise the most money in order to continue advancing to the next round. The tournament winner receives a grand prize of $10,000 for their organization from a corporate sponsor.

“Supporting this program is very beneficial for local organizations. Many of the non-profits that are involved with Brackets For Good do not have the resources to garner the exposure and financial contributions that the Brackets For Good offers,” explained Rich Ropp, St. Louis Base President. “This is a unique and fun spin on fundraising for those non-profits that ties directly to March Madness.”

The pep rally is annual event held before the tournament to bring participating local non-profits together to acquire information from the Brackets For Good team and their sponsors. “The goal of the event was to get the non-profits and partners fired up about the tournament and to get tips on how to advance on the bracket,” said Ropp. “The tournament is really a strategic endeavor for these non-profits. They must get creative in order to gain enough contributions to win each bracket and advance.”

Jet Linx Indianapolis was our first Base to partner with Brackets For Good. Pictured is this their bracket for 2017.

Jet Linx St. Louis Client Services Specialist Reagon Wilson has spearheaded Jet Linx St. Louis Brackets For Good events for last two years. “Compared to last year’s event, the attendance jumped from about 25 guests to over 130 guests this year,” said Wilson.”The organization is definitely growing and gaining more support every year!”

As guests arrived at the event, they were offered MOD pizza and Daredevil beer – the official craft beer of Brackets For Good 2017. The speakers included members of the Brackets For Good team and former St. Louis Blues hockey player Cam Janssen. Guests also mingled, received their brackets and had the chance to take a close look at a Tesla on display. “It was great watching all of the non-profits network with one another,” recalled Wilson.

The first round of this year’s tournament kicks off on February 24, and anyone can donate to non-profits in the Brackets For Good tournament nationwide! Brackets For Good has so far raised over $2 million in its five year history, and is expanding to new locations across the U.S. every year. Jet Linx is excited to currently partner with Brackets For Good in cities where BFG tournaments and Jet Linx Bases overlap, including Indianapolis, Denver, and St. Louis.

Jet Linx Indianapolis is supporting Brackets For Good for the third year in a row. Through the tournament, they are able to raise money and awareness for Flight1, an organization dedicated to introducing aviation to children affected by health challenges. “The competitive aspect of Brackets For Good is really exciting, especially knowing that all the funds we raise support great organizations like Flight1,” said Olivia Snyder, Jet Linx Indy Client Services Specialist.

Jet Linx Indy will be hosting a Ladies Wine Flight event on March 2 to garner most support for the cause. Clients have been invited to meet members of the Flight1 team while enjoying wine flights and hors d’oeuvres.

To learn more about the Brackets For Good organization visit their website: www.bfg.org