Activision's Call of Duty™ Endowment Announces 7 Winners Of 'Seal of Distinction' Award

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Call of Duty Endowment today announced seven winners of the "Seal of Distinction" award at a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. In addition, the Endowment shared compelling data from leading member-based advisory company CEB that shows a quantifiable advantage to hiring veterans, including a 4 percent performance advantage and lower turnover rates for veteran hires compared to non-veterans.

The Call of Duty Endowment is a private nonprofit foundation that supports groups placing former service members into rewarding careers while raising awareness of the value veterans bring to the civilian workplace. The Seal of Distinction award was created in 2013 to highlight nonprofit organizations that have proven to be the most effective and efficient at placing veterans into high quality careers by providing them with a $30,000 unrestricted grant and the potential for larger restricted grants from the Endowment.

Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment, said, "Despite recent data showing that veterans have unique skill sets and offer potential employers a competitive advantage, the reality is that our youngest veterans continue to face a much higher unemployment rate than their non-veteran peers. We are proud to be recognizing those organizations best-equipped at helping place these veterans in jobs, while shining a bright light on the benefits of hiring veterans."

All awardees were vetted by the Call of Duty Endowment and independently evaluated in a pro bono project by Deloitte.

"We are thrilled to announce that seven organizations have met the standards of the Seal of Distinction, as established by the Call of Duty Endowment," said Mark Goulart, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and lead client service partner for Veterans Affairs. "We are committed to supporting our nation's heroes and their transition to civilian life, and we are pleased to join the Call of Duty Endowment in this effort to identify the organizations that are most effectively and efficiently assisting our nation's veterans with job placement."

Broken into two parts – a 30-minute press conference headlined by former National Security Advisor General James Jones and an hour-long "leading practices" symposium featuring the inaugural Seal winners and a hiring discussion moderated by CEB – the event documented the advantages of hiring veterans and innovative solutions from the best NGOs for placing veterans into high quality careers. 

"Talent acquisition and talent management are top priorities for executives we speak with," said Brian Kropp, managing director, CEB. "Our research shows that veterans, on average, perform at higher levels and are more loyal, long-term employees. With more than 130,000 military personnel entering the workforce in 2014, the support leading NGOs and other military support channels provide is essential in helping to ensure service men and women have the resources they need to find high quality jobs, and in helping leading organizations address skill gaps and other hiring concerns."

Footage of the press conference, as well as information on the specific winners, the CEB study, photos, statistics, and videos, can be found online by visiting: http://sealofdistinction.isebox.net/seal2013.

About the Call of Duty Endowment:
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation conceived by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The organization seeks to help organizations that provide job placement and training services for veterans. For more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Call of Duty Endowment

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