Activision gives $2 million to 'Call of Duty' charity for veterans

Yannick LeJacq , NBC News contributor ? ? ? 4 hrs.

"Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard has donated $2 million to Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), a charitable organization the video game industry giant founded in 2009 "to help soldiers transition to civilian careers after their military service," according to the nonprofit's mission statement.

The $2 million from Activision comes on top of an additional $1.7 million that was raised by selling limited edition dog tags for an additional $4.99 during the holiday release of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" last year.

Activision said that the bulk of the new funds will be used by CODE to support local veterans' charities nationwide that focus specifically on providing employment to former members of the U.S. military.

"We are committed to our veterans," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. "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."

Being a private foundation tied directly to Activision as its parent company, CODE acts as a sort of intermediary to provide funding to different veterans services organizations across the United States. The organization's advisory board is largely made up of high level executives from its gaming counterpart who weigh in on how the funds will be apportioned in line with CODE's founding mission, which focuses solely on veteran employment rather than other social services such as treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.

Since it was founded on Veterans Day 2009, CODE has helped 1,046 veterans secure jobs, according to a grant recipient report from 2012. It has given out nearly $2.8 million spread across 14 different organizations, providing more than 10,000 veterans with employment assistance in the process.

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email atylejacq@gmail.com.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a8fd67a/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cingame0Cactivision0Egives0E20Emillion0Ecall0Eduty0Echarity0Eveterans0E1C9282628/story01.htm

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