By Brian Delgado, Event Supervisor, ESPN

This press release was originally posted at http://www.armedforcesbowl.com/RedCrossRenewal15

FORT WORTH, Texas −The American Red Cross has agreed to a new two-year extension to support the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, event organizers announced today. The relationship, which began in 2012, will continue through the 2016 bowl game.

The American Red Cross provides critical services to men and women in all branches of the United States military, active duty personnel, reservists and members of the National Guard, and their families. Through our Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, service men and women are eligible for three types of assistance beginning on the first day of enlistment: Emergency Services, Service to Military Families and Service to Military and Veterans Hospitals.

“The American Red Cross provides so many services to our armed forces around the globe,” said Brant Ringler, executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. “They have been a phenomenal to join with and we look forward to working together towards our mutual commitment to honoring our nation’s service members.”

“The Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces programs are a cornerstone of who we are and what we do at the Red Cross,” said Koby Langley, Senior Vice President, American Red Cross. “We continue to improve and expand services to meet the needs of today’s military. An example is the launch of our new online Hero Care Network to access Red Cross Emergency Communications services when families are experiencing a crisis. Military Families can now request emergency help online atwww.redcross.org/HeroCareNetwork.org or by calling 877-272-7337.

Per the agreement, the American Red Cross will be the presenting sponsor of the Veteran’s Village, an interactive area outside the stadium for veterans and veteran organizations to meet before and after the game. Over the past two years, The American Red Cross has also spearheaded coordinating surprise reunions between North Texas military members with their families during the patriotic bowl game.

The 13th annual Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth featuring the Cal Golden Bears facing the Air Force Academy Falcons. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. (CT) and will be precluded by a tailgate featuring interactive displays, military hardware, pep rally activities, and more. There will also be a free concert following the game.

Tickets to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl are available at http://www.armedforcesbowl.com and range from $30 for general admission to $75 for a lower bowl reserved seat. All active military personnel and veterans are eligible to receive up to four free tickets courtesy of the bowl’s corporate partners. For more information about the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, please visit www.armedforcesbowl.com, www.facebook.com/ArmedForcesBowl, or www.twitter.com/ArmedForcesBowl.

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort
Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

Collegiate Football

AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston); AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston); Birmingham Bowl (Alabama); Celebration Bowl (Atlanta); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise); Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); Marmot Boca Raton Bowl (Florida); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); Orlando Kickoff (Florida); Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau); Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.); Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada); St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida); The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Collegiate Basketball

AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); Armed Forces Classic (Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan); DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.); College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s (Los Angeles); Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona (Storrs, Conn.); NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago)

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

Media Contacts: Bryan Delgado, Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at 817-810-0266 or bryan.delgado@espn.com; Rachel Margolis Siegal, ESPN at 860-766-2798, or rachel.m.siegal@espn.com.