Call of Duty™ Endowment Announces $2 Million Donation From Activision Blizzard

Additional $1.7 Million Received from Activision's Limited Edition Dog Tag Sales

LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In support of its commitment to secure veterans stable, high-quality employment, the Call of Duty™ Endowment received a donation of $2 million from Activision Blizzard.

The donation was announced at the Call of Duty® Championships, presented by Xbox, which took place on April 5-7 in Los Angeles.

"We are committed to our veterans," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, "they put their lives on the line for our freedom and security. They all have unique experiences, skills, and capabilities that should be highly desirable to any employer. Sadly, more than 20% of our youngest veterans remain out of work. The Call of Duty Endowment helps raise awareness of the considerable advantages employers gain from hiring veterans and, though a network of NGO's, finds jobs for veterans.  We proudly support its efforts."

"With recent statistics showing veterans aged 18-24 almost three times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of America and tens of thousands more soon to become veterans, this donation will help further our objective of finding greater employment opportunities for those who have served in the military," said Call of Duty Endowment executive director Dan Goldenberg. "These funds are essential to supporting the Call of Duty Endowment's new 'chapterization' strategy.  This approach provides grants to organizations with a track record of effectiveness and the ability to scale operations by opening new offices – or chapters – that provide employment services to veterans."

In addition to the $2 million donation, Activision Publishing raised $1.7 million for the Endowment in donations from Call of Duty® fans through the sale of limited edition dog tags. The dog tags, which had a suggested retail price of $4.99, were made available November 1, 2012 throughout the holiday season.  They were placed in dedicated Call of Duty® sections and counter displays in more than 12,000 stores across the country, including GameStop, Walmart, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and Target.

The non-profit Call of Duty Endowment was started in 2009 by Mr. Kotick in an effort to raise awareness and help secure jobs for veterans. Since its inception, the Endowment has provided nearly $3 million in grants and scholarships to veterans' organizations and colleges to help servicemen and women transition to civilian careers after military service. These gifts have helped place more than 1,000 veterans in jobs and provided job-training services to more than 2,500 veterans.

The Call of Duty Endowment recently announced $1,110,000 in grants to launch its new 'chapterization' model, making five initial grants to Atlanta, Georgia-based Hire Heroes USA; Denver, Colorado-based Veterans Green Jobs; Lanham, Maryland-based AMVETS; Huntsville, Alabama-based Still Serving Veterans; and the Washington, D.C.-based National Chamber Foundation.

About the Call of Duty Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The endowment helps organizations that provide career counseling, placement and training for veterans. For more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

About Activision Blizzard
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the world's leading interactive entertainment company.

Activision Blizzard maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, China, South Korea and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.

ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.

SOURCE Call of Duty Endowment

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED