Ole Miss Student-Athletes Participate In Day Of Service for Mid-South Food Bank As Part Of Ongoing NIL Participation With Wheels Up
OXFORD, Ms. – Wheels Up (NYSE: UP), a leading provider of on-demand private aviation, the Grove Collective, an Ole Miss-exclusive Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) program, and The Brandr Group, one of the nation’s leading group licensing rights providers for colleges, recently collaborated on a comprehensive day of service for the Oxford, Ms. community.
As part of Wheels Up’s Meals Up initiative with Feeding America, student-athletes from Ole Miss gathered at Pine Lake Church and distributed meals to more than 500 families in need. This recent day of service is one element of the one-of-a-kind NIL partnership between Wheels Up, the Grove Collective and The Brandr Group which enables Ole Miss student-athletes to get involved and make an impact in their local community.
“We are thrilled to participate in this day of service with our partners at The Grove Collective and this talented group of student athletes from the University of Mississippi,” said Erin Zugelder, Head of New Corporate Sales at Wheels Up. “To date, Meals Up has raised and inspired nearly 90 million meals for Feeding America and with the philanthropic efforts of these student athletes today, we’re proud to provide meals to over 500 local families in need with the Mid-South Food Bank. It is exciting to see this vision come to life and be able to give back to the local communities that give so much to us.”
Mid-South Food Bank provides food to local agencies and food distribution sites in 31 counties, aiming to eliminate hunger in western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas. Mid-South Food Bank, a partner in the Meals Up initiative, currently distributes an average of 4 million meals a month through a network of 400 partner agencies.
Meals Up was created in 2020 to help support the growing level of food insecurity that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, Wheels Up has raised and inspired nearly 90 million meals to Feeding America and will provide additional meals for the local community with Mid-South Food Bank Food Bank.
The Wheels Up Day of Service is associated with the group Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) program between The Brandr Group, the Grove Collective and Wheels Up. It is one of many activations and engagements afforded to participating student-athletes, with those who participate in the day of service compensated through the NIL opportunity.
“The opportunity to give back to our community is one of the best parts about our partnership with the Grove Collective,” said Tre Harris, a wide receiver with the Ole Miss football team. “There are lots of hardworking families who are in need throughout the area and being able to take some time to be in service to them through this work with Wheels Up at the Mid-South Food Bank is incredibly rewarding. We understand the importance of working together as a team, and they’ve got a tremendous team striving to make a real difference.”
In addition to the charitable impact of this innovative partnership, participating Ole Miss student-athletes through the Grove Collective have access to commercial travel opportunities to allow their loved ones to attend Ole Miss games and athletic events through the commercial airline partner of Wheels Up.
“NIL programs like this have not only created new opportunities for student-athletes to maximize the profitability from their name, image and likeness, but also fostered innovative, new ways for them to have a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond,” said Chris Marciani with The Brandr Group. “The ability to give back to their communities at places like the Mid-South Food Bank, as well as serve families in need through charitable initiatives like Meals Up, ensures they can make a difference with their time, energy and resources.”
For images from the day of service, please see this folder.
About Wheels Up
Wheels Up is the leading provider of on-demand private aviation in the U.S. and one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. Wheels Up offers a complete global aviation solution with a large, modern and diverse fleet, backed by an uncompromising commitment to safety and service. Customers can access membership programs, charter and aircraft management services—as well as unique commercial travel benefits through a strategic partnership with Delta Air Lines Inc. The Wheels Up Services brands also offer freight, safety & security solutions and managed services to individuals, industry, government and civil organizations.
Wheels Up is guided by the mission to connect flyers to private aircraft—and one another—and deliver exceptional, personalized experiences. Powered by a global private aviation marketplace connecting its growing base of 12,000+ members and customers to a network of more than 1,500 safety-vetted and verified private aircraft, Wheels Up is widening the aperture of private travel for millions of consumers globally. With the Wheels Up mobile app, members and customers have the digital convenience to search, book and fly. Wheels Up is committed to aligning with philanthropic organizations that matter most to our company, members, customers, families and friends.
Through the Wheels Up Cares program, a Wheels Up Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft is custom-designed to represent the established cause and is a flying symbol of each charity's mission. Headquartered in New York City, Wheels Up has office locations in 25 cities and towns across three continents and a workforce of nearly 2,700 employees. To learn more about Wheels Up, go to wheelsup.com.
About The Grove Collective
The Grove Collective was created to ensure that NIL is done right by the law – and right by Ole Miss student athletes. Your support of the Grove Collective translates into support of Ole Miss student athletes, allowing the Grove Collective to compensate them for licensing and use of their publicity rights. And when it comes to NIL, there is strength in numbers. The Grove Collective also provides a turn-key solution for businesses that desire to utilize the publicity rights of Ole Miss student athletes for advertising. The Grove Collective markets your business, provides contracts for your use, assists the student athlete with accounting and taxation, and fulfills the compliance disclosure required by Ole Miss. For more information visit https://thegrovecollective.com.
About The Brandr Group
The Brandr Group (TBG) is a brand management, marketing and licensing agency powered by a team with decades of collective management experience for some of the world’s largest brands. TBG has emerged as the leading agency in group licensing programs, with rights to more than 90 college athletic programs and their student athletes in the Name, Image and Likeness category including the biggest brands in college athletics. TBG partners with prominent brands, colleges, sponsors, corporate trademarks, athletes and events to cultivate, diversify and monetize intellectual property through professional brand management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please visit tbgusa.com.
