Hats Off to Businesses Helping Veterans

A  Real Clear Politics article encourages businesses to hire more vets. While news outlets and White House initiatives like Joining Forces continue to ask for more, we would like to take a minute to thank all of the business that are doing a whole lot right now to help unemployed veterans. To name a few:

• Wal-Mart
• UPS
• Home Depot
• Target
• McDonald’s

According to Real Clear Politics, together, these businesses have committed to hire or train 435,000 veterans or spouses over the next 5 years.

With the Endowment getting its start from founder Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, we understand the extent to which these businesses are contributing their time, money, and appreciation for military veterans and spouses and their skills.

ACP Offers Veterans Invaluable Workforce Transition Assistance

We often highlight many of the organizations out there doing great things for America’s veterans. And here is another – American Corporate Partners (ACP). ACP offers a variety of tools – including mentoring, career counseling, and networking opportunity – to veterans transitioning from the armed service to the civilian workforce.

Like many of the organizations the Call of Duty Endowment supports, ACP focuses on one-on-one relationships, both with veterans and business leaders. This approach ensures a strong connection between corporate America and veteran communities.

Earlier this month, ACP surveyed many of the mentors and protégés involved in their programs, and the results were overwhelmingly favorable. 100% of mentors surveyed were glad their company participated in the program, while over 50% of protégés surveyed believed the program helped them learn about new career opportunities, build a network of professionals, and improve their resume and interview skills.

Congrats to ACP for establishing a worthwhile program that is providing the tools and resources necessary to ensure a smooth transition for our veterans.

Employment Assistance Programs Are Looking for Veterans!

Executive Director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program and Call of Duty Endowment partner, Kevin Schmiegel was recently featured in a Fox Business article encouraging veterans to take advantage of benefits and assistance programs when looking for employment. According to Fox, a recent government audit of veteran job training programs found that nearly 60,000 slots were unused.

Curtis Coy with Economic Opportunity at the Department of Veterans Affairs also points out that less than half of the applicants approved to receive assistance from the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) have actually enrolled.

Schmiegel explains that although many organizations offer veterans employment support, the usefulness of these tools depends on a veteran’s initiative to take advantage of them.

Are you a veteran looking for employment assistance? Check out Hiring Our Heroes’ new ResumeEngine.org, which helps veterans refine their resumes.

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—In support of its commitment to secure veterans stable, high-quality employment, the Call of Duty™ Endowment received a donation of 2 million dollars 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 dollar 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.

Media Contacts:

Lindsay Murphy
202.494.6580
lindsay@callofdutyendowment.org

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.

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Vet Hunters Project Helps Homeless Veterans

In an effort to aid the increasing number of homeless veterans, a group of all-volunteer veterans, the Vet Hunters Project, have made it their mission to find and give shelter to homeless veterans, through medical, financial, and legal support. A recent New York Times article profiled this veteran support group, while highlighting the issues surrounding homeless veterans.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 62,619 veterans are homeless on any given night, and over the course of a year, about 250,000 veterans experience homelessness. This alarming number of homeless vets stems from a variety of underlining issues, such as financial and personal struggles.

Joe Leal, the founder of the project, believes that our heroes deserve more: “Homelessness is the equivalent of leaving a buddy on the battlefield. They’re heroes in the shadows.”

The Vet Hunters Project has gone to great lengths to increase awareness about this epidemic. With a volunteer group of nearly 113 active volunteers, the Vet Hunters Project has tracked down nearly 2,000 fellow veterans, and expanded across 20 local chapters.

Former National Security Advisor General James L. Jones Reacts to Veterans Unemployment Rate – Suggests work is not done until every veteran acquires gainful employment

WASHINGTON — March 20, 2013 — The Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Department of Labor today released a new report demonstrating a positive trend nationally for the overall veteran unemployment rate, while the unemployment rate for our youngest veterans (aged 18-24) remained more than 5% higher than for their nonveteran counterparts (20.4% and 15%, respectively). The following quote should be attributed to General James L. Jones, Former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Combatant Commander USEUCOM, and co-chairman of the Call of Duty Endowment:

“While today’s veteran’s unemployment statistics reflect a positive trend overall, our work as a nation is not complete until we have provided those who have served with an opportunity to find gainful employment.  Fortunately, organizations like the Call of Duty Endowment are working to make this a reality.  Today, the Endowment announced a $1.1M effort to support an innovative “chapterization” model which awards grants to organizations that have the ability to scale their operations by opening new, regional offices – or chapters – to offer assistance to veterans in high need areas.  Today’s report is a reminder that there are still millions of veterans struggling with transition from active service to civilian life and our nation can and should do more to assist these great men and women.”

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.

CODE Announces $1.1M in ‘Chapterization’ Grants – Meet the Organizations

About Chapterization

Chapterization is an innovative new funding strategy, whereby the Call of Duty Endowment will provide grants to organizations to enable them to expand by opening new regional offices (‘chapters’) in areas where the most unemployed veterans have the most need.  Chapterization grants will be provided to organizations that have proven to be the most efficient (i.e. low cost-per-placement) and effective (i.e. highest number of veterans placed in jobs) in placing veterans in jobs. The Endowment will be active investors — demanding transparency and diligently measuring progress in order to enable organizations to do their best work and to help identify future leaders.

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.

About Hire Heroes USA:

Founded in 2007, Hire Heroes USA is a national, nonprofit organization headquartered in Alpharetta, GA. Hire Heroes USA is dedicated to creating job opportunities for US military veterans and their spouses through personalized employment training and corporate engagement. Hire Heroes USA has gained national-recognition for its comprehensive “recruitment to placement” continuum of veteran assistance and corporate engagement, resulting in one veteran hired every business day. For more information visit www.hireheroesusa.org.

About AMVETS:

A leader since 1944 in preserving the free­doms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuring their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislative reform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike. AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves. To learn more, visit www.amvets.org.

About Veterans Green Jobs:

Veterans Green Jobs is a national nonprofit whose mission is to engage, transition and connect military veterans with meaningful employment opportunities that serve our communities and environment. Veterans Green Jobs offers a national job placement model, provides training and hands-on experience for seasonal employment opportunities, and directly employs veterans. See www.veteransgreenjobs.org for information. Join Veterans Green Jobs on Facebook.

About Still Serving Veterans:

SSV is a Veteran Service Organization headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama that empowers Veterans and their families to optimally transition into meaningful new careers and post-military lives with all the benefits and services that they have earned.  Founded in 2006, SSV has served more than 10,000 Veterans and their families nationally. Since 2007, SSV has secured over $78 million in cumulative additional benefits, services, and salaries for their Veteran clients. In 2012, SSV’s professional counselors conducted 3,499 one-on-one counseling sessions which secured over $7.7 million for their Veteran clients and helped a record 164 Veterans get hired. SSV is also recognized nationally as a center of excellence for Veteran reintegration and optimization of Veteran services. For more information about SSV, please visit www.stillservingveterans.org.

About the National Chamber Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Program:

In March of 2011, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation launched Hiring Our Heroes, a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with our network of 1600 state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, our goal is to create a movement across America in hundreds of local communities where veterans and military families return every day. Hiring Our Heroes has hosted more than 365 hiring fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; more than 14,100 have gotten jobs. For more information, visit www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes.

Join the Endowment for #Jobs4Vets Twitter Campaign this Wednesday, March 20

This Wednesday, March 20, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be releasing its annual “Employment Situation of Veterans” report highlighting veterans unemployment statistics nationwide. Tune in on Wednesday and become part of the conversation by joining CODE in discussing this important national issue on Twitter using the hashtag #Jobs4Vets. CODE will also be making a corresponding announcement on the same day so don’t forget to follow us @CODE4Vets for the big news!

Michelle Obama Calls on Governors for Help

In continuation of her commitment to the Joining Forces program, First Lady Michelle Obama is asking Governors for their help in veteran employment initiatives. The Huffington Post reported that Michelle Obama “challenged governors [at a recent White House event] to make it easier for military personnel to transfer their skills to civilian jobs as they return home from Afghanistan and other far-flung posts.”

She emphasized the importance for veterans to be able to receive professional, civilian credentials and licenses based on their previous military training and experience. Michelle asks Governors for their support via passed legislation or executive action by 2015.

According to Fox News, in addition to the 11 states that have already passed legislation to promote veteran employment, 17 states have passed similar legislation in the last year.

We commend Michelle Obama and the 28 states that are making veteran employment a priority!

Statement by Co-Chairman General James Jones on the Passing of Endowment Advisory Council Member Gordon H. Mansfield

Washington – Call of Duty Endowment Co–Chairman General James Jones released the following statement on the death of Advisory Council Member and former Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield:

“Mr. Mansfield’s passing is a great loss for the veterans community. He dedicated his life to the service of this country through both his time in active duty with the U.S. Army and his unflinching commitment to our veterans following his transition to civilian life. And for that, we are truly indebted.

“In addition to being an original member of the Call of Duty Endowment’s Advisory Council, Mr. Mansfield served veterans for more than three decades in his capacity as the Executive Director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America and as the Acting Director, Deputy Director and COO of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Mr. Mansfield leaves behind a tremendous legacy for all American servicemen and women – past, present and future.  On behalf of the Call of Duty Endowment, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family.”