Tutu Turns 10

Launch the balloons and pop the champagne! Join Jet Linx in celebration of the 10th anniversary of our charity partner, The Tutu Project by The Carey Foundation. Will you #Dare2Tutu?

After ten years of fundraising and community-building, The Tutu Project celebrated a decade of difference-making in 2022. In honor of this milestone, The Tutu Project doubled its annual fundraising goal from $125,000 to $250,000 in 2022. A Tutu Project charity partner since 2015, Your Personal Jet Company again plunged into the #Dare2Tutu challenge this year, raising money and awareness for The Tutu Project.

The Tutu Project began as a happy accident in 2003 when Bob Carey donned a pink tutu in an effort to produce a smile from his wife Linda, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The Careys learned while battling cancer is hard, life is good, and sometimes the very best thing we can do is to laugh at ourselves and share a laugh with others. After the publication of Ballerina, a powerful book of Bob’s tutu images, The Tutu Project took flight.

While the beginnings of The Tutu Project date back to 2003, the fundraising arm of the organization, The Carey Foundation, has been using proceeds to collect and allocate funds to the breast cancer community since its founding in 2012. This year, the non-profit 501(c)(3) celebrates a decade of difference-making for the global breast cancer community. From appearances on The Today Show, to spreads in The New York Times, to celebrity endorsements, the Careys’ viral success has led to a steady stream of support for those in need.

Both Bob and Linda know all too well the financial burdens that breast cancer places on families, especially costs not covered by insurance. After beating breast cancer in 2003, Linda’s cancer recurred in 2006. In the subsequent years, through their personal experiences and partnerships, the Careys have been committed to assisting those who have suffered through the many invisible consequences of cancer – both financial and emotional.

Proceeds from The Tutu Project initiative provide everything from wigs and lymphedema sleeves to transportation, childcare, and counseling to men, women and families impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. Beyond financial assistance, The Tutu Project offers a community where experiences can be shared and real-world, practical support is provided to those who have been touched by this disease. Community engagement, emotional healing, educational resources, and simply venting on life’s frustrations are vital components of The Tutu Project’s mission to connect, listen and help.

“Our partnership with Jet Linx is in its eighth year and means the world to Bob and me. That’s eight years of hard work, dedication, thousands of photos of employees in tutus, and incredibly generous donations,” said Linda Carey, co-founder of The Tutu Project by The Carey Foundation. “Jet Linx has filled countless refrigerators with food, helped pay electric bills and mortgage payments, all of which ease the stress of managing a breast cancer diagnosis. We feel the love, and it strengthens our resolve to support the breast cancer community.”

To celebrate the tenth year of The Carey Foundation serving and supporting the breast cancer community, Bob set off on a road trip across the western United States to capture more of his iconic photos and spread awareness of the campaign. Along the journey, Bob wanted to capture what it takes to create his iconic photos, but also shed more light on the cause and the community that has been created after a decade of work.

Jet Linx has offered support from every level within the Company, beginning in 2015 when Bob arrived in Omaha for the first annual Jet Linx x The Tutu Project photoshoot and Jet Linx President and CEO Jamie Walker drove the truck that wet the tarmac to help the photo shine. Since then, Jet Linx has formed a close friendship with the Careys and the work of the Foundation.

In 2019, Jet Linx sent more than 2,200 Traveling Tutus directly to clients nationwide to boost participation in the #Dare2Tutu challenge. Then, in 2020 while on a visit to Omaha, Denny Walker, Founder and Chairman of Jet Linx, arranged for Bob to appear during halftime at a Creighton University basketball game as part of a pink-out for breast cancer awareness. Bob took a photo with more than 17,000 fans in attendance, raising awareness and encouraging more support for The Tutu Project.

Since 2015, over 12,000 images have been captured for the #Dare2Tutu campaign. Those acts of kindness have translated into meaningful numbers, with Jet Linx raising more than $290,000 since 2015. We send congratulations to the Careys on ten years of success.