Want to Be a 'FREE.I.P.'?

Virgin Mobile USA is having a concert on Sunday, August 30 in Washington, D.C. called Virgin Mobile FreeFest that includes bands like Blink-182, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy and Jet, among others. And, yes, the concert is free. The problem? Thirty-five thousand fans already grabbed those free tickets up in mere minutes. So what's a crazed music fan to do? Donate their time to charity, of course.

Select people who sign up for the FREE.I.P. Program and log at least 13 volunteer hours (or prepare 13 service kits) at one of Virgin Mobile USA's charitable partners are eligible to win two VIP tickets (or one VIP ticket if they reside in D.C. or Baltimore) at the FreeFest. Those charitable partners are:

• Bridge Over Troubled Waters - helps high-risk, runaway and homeless youth
• Green Chimneys - assists children with emotional, social, behavioral and learning challenges
• HELP USA - provides housing, jobs and services to empower the homeless and others in need
• Sasha Bruce Youthwork - houses young people in D.C. ages 11 to 17 who need housing
• StandUp For Kids - provides outreach and counseling to the neediest of America's homeless youth

In addition, Virgin America (easily my favorite airline) will donate use of an entire plane to bring select West Coast do-gooders from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., for the festival for free. From the airport, Megabus will provide transportation to the festival. And East Coasters aren't being overlooked -- they can win a FreeFest Express Wi-Fi Megabus trip from New York City, Boston or Philadelphia to the festival. 

Winners will be determined by those who earn the most volunteer hours, so start volunteering! Both East and West Coasters have until Sunday, August 2, 11:59 p.m. EST.

(Logo courtesy of PR Newswire/Virgin Mobile USA)