Activision might have a bit of a reputation for putting financial gain above quality or customer satisfaction, but the publisher’s Call of Duty Endowment charity is a non-profit, public benefit corporation that aims to help U.S. soldiers find stable employment.
After making $400 million in the first day of Modern Warfare 3‘s release, Activision has donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment. Up until today, the Endowment has provided over $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to numerous organizations and colleges throughout the United States, which have contributed to more than 700 veteran jobs, more than 2,500 veterans receiving job training and more than 30 receiving scholarships.
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, said:
The fact that over 20 percent of our nation’s youngest veterans are unemployed is unacceptable. These are the very same men and women who put their lives on the line to guarantee our freedom and security. Veterans Day is a time to reflect and renew our commitment to ensure our military heroes have the tools to reintegrate successfully back to civilian life. The Call of Duty Endowment is dedicated to the mission of bringing attention to veterans’ unemployment and finding a solution to this serious issue. We hope that other businesses and organizations will join us.
In addition, the Call of Duty Endowment will provide a $250,000 grant to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation to support the Hiring our Heroes program and help host hiring fairs in 25 cities nationwide in 2012, which should result in at least 3,500 jobs for veterans. Kevin Schmiegel, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Veterans Employment Program, said:
The National Chamber Foundation is committed to the issue of helping veterans find meaningful employment. Since we launched the Hiring our Heroes program in March of 2011, the Chamber has conducted 63 hiring fairs and connected over 55,000 veterans and military spouses with over 2,500 different employers in 37 states. To date, more than 3,400 veterans and spouses are employed as a result. The grant from the Call of Duty Endowment will allow us to greatly expand our efforts in 2012—we thank them for their support.
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