Activision's Call of Duty
Endowment Awards Half Million Dollars in
Grants to Combat Veterans' Unemployment
Recipient
organizations will use funding to help
returning veterans and wounded warriors
obtain civilian careers
|
WASHINGTON -Today, the Call of Duty
Endowment, a non-profit organization which is focused on
helping veterans transition to civilian careers, awarded
$500,000 in grants to five organizations working to
train and place returning service members and wounded
warriors into the workforce. The organizations that
will receive funding include: the USO, AMVETS, Military
to Medicine, Student Veterans of America and Veterans
Green Jobs.
The announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics' (BLS) yearly Veterans' Employment
Summary, which was released today. According to the new
report from BLS, there are currently more than one
million veterans who are out of work in the country.
The problem is worst for the youngest veterans between
the ages of 18-24. Male veterans in that age range
experience an unemployment rate of 21.9 percent, and
women veterans in the same age range experience an
unemployment rate of 15.3 percent.
"It is a great honor to support these organizations that
are training and placing our military men and women in
21st century careers," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) For those who
give selflessly to defend our freedom, we must continue
to increase the public's awareness of this problem, and
we must work together with businesses around the country
to find our heroes fulfilling and sustainable jobs."
The five grant recipients will each receive $100,000 to
assist them in their efforts with career training and
job placement throughout the country. The programs
chosen each have a different avenue and audience as to
how they are combating the unemployment issue.
The USO will provide career support to wounded warriors
and their families through the creation of two new
facilities at the Walter Reed National Military Medical
Center in Bethesda, Maryland and a new medical campus at
Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Student Veterans of America
works mostly with younger veterans on college campuses,
while Amvets will expand their Career Centers pilot
program, which has been helping veterans living in
Ohio. Veterans Green Jobs, based out of Colorado, looks
to train veterans in the emerging field of sustainable
green jobs, and Military to Medicine provides veterans
with online healthcare training and employment
assistance in the medical field.
Sloan Gibson, president of the USO expressed his
gratitude to Activision and Bobby Kotick for the Call of
Duty Endowment's grant, "Considering their character,
drive and discipline our men and women who serve in the
Armed Forces - should be seen as ideal candidates to
hire for any employer. I hope that more companies will
help promote that theme, just as Activision and Bobby
Kotick have done through the Call of Duty Endowment."
Since Activision Blizzard, Inc., the worldwide online and
console video game publisher and producer of the Call of
Duty® video game, established the Call of Duty Endowment it
has delivered more than $500,000 in grants and scholarships
to assist veterans gain new careers in the civilian
workforce. This past November, Activision committed another
$1 million to the Endowment and pledged to find 1,000 jobs
for veterans.
To learn more about fighting veterans' unemployment and the
grants announced today, visit
http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=32062699&msgid=1575845&act=1GQG&c=586470&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.callofdutyendowment.org%2F
About The Call of Duty Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public
benefit corporation created by Activision Blizzard. The
organization seeks to help soldiers transitioning to
civilian life find work and establish careers and to
assist organizations that provide job placement and
training. For more information about The Call of Duty
Endowment, please visit
www.callofdutyendowment.org .
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision
Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is a leading worldwide
developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment and leisure products. Activision maintains
operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom,
France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China
and the region of Taiwan. More information about
Activision and its products can be found on the
company's website,
http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=32062699&msgid=1575845&act=1GQG&c=586470&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.activision.com%2F.
Call of Duty and Activision are registered trademarks of
Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and
trade names are the properties of their respective
owners.