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JetBlue Hosts Inaugural Swing for Good Golf Classic Business & Community Breakfast Panel Event

JetBlue Hosts Inaugural Swing for Good Golf Classic Business & Community Breakfast Panel Event

Published 09-03-10

Submitted by JetBlue Airways

Greg Baldwin, President of VolunteerMatch; Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue; Nancy Lublin, CEP of DoSomething.org; Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM!

JetBlue Airways' CEO Dave Barger, today hosted the airline's inaugural Swing for Good Golf Classic Business & Community Breakfast Panel Event at Twenty-four Fifth in Manhattan. The event provided attendees perspective regarding the impact companies can have on the communities they serve through charitable giving and community involvement.

JetBlue prides itself on being a service company that goes beyond the airport and has lasting impact on the local community. The airline’s second annual Swing for Good Golf Classic, which takes place on October 7th, is a charitable golf tournament that benefits KaBOOM! and DoSomething.org, two major national charities. Nancy Lublin, CEO of Do Something.org and Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! joined Barger on the panel to discuss how the Swing for Good Golf Classic event impacted their organizations last year. Greg Baldwin, President of VolunteerMatch, moderated the discussion.

"It is critical for businesses to give back and leave a positive mark on the communities they serve," said Barger, whose inaugural JetBlue Swing for Good Golf Classic raised more than $140,000 for Do Something.org and KaBOOM! in 2009. "We are fortunate to be able to bring together our business partners, vendors, crewmembers and charitable partners for this inaugural breakfast forum that focuses on sharing our best practices so that we can continue to make a positive impact in our communities."

Among the topics discussed, KaBOOM! and DoSomething.org shared some of the recent programs and initiatives that were made possible by the inaugural JetBlue Swing for Good Golf Classic in 2009. KaBOOM!, which builds playgrounds for children in at-risk neighborhoods, teamed with JetBlue on August 26, 2010, to build their ninth playground together in Roxbury, Mass.

"JetBlue is the perfect example of a great company for KaBOOM! to partner with. Service is in their DNA, and their top down approach to volunteering and giving really makes an impact. When Dave Barger and his directors show up to help out on one of our builds, crewmembers and customers know that it's not just lip service. They really believe in the cause," said Hammond. "Not only do they have a motivated workforce dedicated to serving others, but they also have operations and crewmembers across the country, eager to get out and give back to their community."

Partnering with DoSomething.org, the leading organization for teens and social change in the US, JetBlue helps teens across the country make a difference by providing travel, promotions, and sponsorship support through programs like the recent All You Can Jet™ contest and the Vh1 Do Something Awards. "We're happy jetters at DoSomething.org -- JetBlue's passion and enthusiasm for what we do shines," said CEO and Chief Old Person Nancy Lublin. "And together we've made a real impact through many programs and opportunities for our teens."

The 2010 JetBlue Swing for Good Golf Classic is scheduled for Thursday, October 7. Once again the event will be held at Bethpage State Park Golf Courses with more than 250 golfers participating.

"JetBlue, together with our partners, is looking forward to hitting a new charitable fundraising milestone at this year's Swing for Good Golf Classic," said Barger.

About the Panelists

Dave Barger - President and CEO of JetBlue
As President and Chief Executive Officer, David (Dave) Barger leads JetBlue's charge to bring humanity back to air travel and to establish JetBlue as a new standard in the airline industry for service, performance and innovation. Celebrating one decade of service, JetBlue began operations in February, 2000 from its base at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and, by the end of 2010, will serve 63 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. JetBlue operates a fleet of 110 Airbus A320 aircraft and 43 EMBRAER 190 aircraft.

Mr. Barger founded JetBlue in August 1998 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and was named Chief Executive Officer in May 2007. Under his leadership, JetBlue returned to profitability in 2007, welcomed its 100th Airbus A320 aircraft to the fleet, and this year was awarded highest honors in airline customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates for the sixth consecutive year. JetBlue was also recognized with the Airbus Operational Excellence award for operating the World's Most Reliable A320 Fleet. In October 2008, Mr. Barger led JetBlue's move into the airline's new state-of-the-art Terminal 5 at JFK. He assumed the additional role of President in June 2009.

Mr. Barger studied at the University of Michigan where he majored in Economics and Political Science.

Nancy Lublin - CEO of DoSomething.org
CEO of DoSomething.org, founder of Dress for Success, columnist for Fast Company, and author of Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, Nancy Lublin is one of the not-for-profit industry's most connected and globally respected leaders.

As CEO of Do Something.org, Nancy helped turn a struggling organization into one of the largest and most successful Internet youth volunteer groups in the world. Leveraging social media and pop culture to help teens "rock causes they care about," in 2010 Do Something allowed over one million teens to take action through their programs. Her deep understanding of teens and technology has led her to advise corporate social cause campaigns such as Chase Community Giving and Pepsi Refresh.

By drawing on personal experience as well as her interviews with other "rock star" leaders of flourishing not-for-profits, in her book, Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business (released June 2010), she shares what for-profit businesses can learn from not-for-profits by doing more with less. Her upcoming book, DO SOMETHING. CHANGE THE WORLD! A Handbook for Young Activists, will be released in November 2010.

Selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Nancy has been awarded various honors from Forbes Magazine, Ms. Magazine, and Fast Company Magazine. She has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, CNN, and in People Magazine, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.

Darell Hammond - CEO of KaBOOM!
Darell co-found KaBOOM! in 1995, after two children died in an abandoned car because they had no place to play. Under Darell's leadership, KaBOOM! has raised more than $165 million to build more than 1,800 playgrounds, and improve thousands of others across America in just 14 years.

Darell has won numerous national service and leadership awards and has been profiled in People, Washingtonian, Fortune, Fast Company and Worth magazines, the Non-Profit Times, the Chronicle on Philanthropy and Crain's Chicago Business. He has also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the Jefferson Award for the Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged and NYU Stern's Satter Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

In addition to his work with KaBOOM!, Darell has served on the Board of Directors of Independent Sector and Hands on Network and in 2003 was elected as an Ashoka Fellow for being a leader in social entrepreneurship.

Greg Baldwin - President & Member, Board of Directors of Volunteer Match
Greg Baldwin joined what is now VolunteerMatch in the spring of 1998 as its Chief Imagination Officer to finish hotwiring the Internet to help everybody find a great place to volunteer. Today, VolunteerMatch is a leader in the nonprofit world. Its popular web service is strengthening communities and organizations across the country by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect.

Greg appreciates the power of a big idea. He began his career at the Leo Burnett advertising agency where many big ideas were born and later tested his own as a co-founder of 2d Interactive, Inc. -- a Boston-based technology start-up. Greg completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University in 1990 with a degree in Public Policy. He is a life-long volunteer and regularly speaks at nonprofit events and conferences on the subjects of volunteering, communication, and the Internet. He is also proud to serve as the Board Chair of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration.

About JetBlue Swing for Good
The 2nd Annual JetBlue Swing for Good Golf Classic will be held at the Bethpage State Park Golf Courses on Thursday, October 7, 2010. Swing for Good benefits our two charitable partners, KaBOOM!, a not-for-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America and Do Something, an organization that promotes community service among the youth in our country. The Breakfast Panel event is a new added event for 2010 for our current and prospective sponsors to come and learn more about Swing for Good as well as our charitable partners.

About KaBOOM!
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play. Through community building, the company is focused on giving every child in America a great place to play within walking distance. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,800 new playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also leads the "Save Play" campaign at saveplay.org, which funds a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers - a national network of individual advocates for play. KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About DoSomething.org
DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. A driving force in creating a culture of volunteerism, DoSomething.org is on track to activate two million young people in 2011. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, and pop culture, DoSomething.org inspires, empowers and celebrates a generation of doers: teenagers who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. Plug in at www.DoSomething.org.

About VolunteerMatch
Bringing People Together"¦
VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Our popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 73,000 nonprofit organizations.

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JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 30 million customers a year to 87 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 825 daily flights. For more information please visit JetBlue.com.

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