Call Of Duty Endowment Launches Memorial Day Campaign

Activision's Call of Duty Endowment, which raises awareness for unemployed military veterans, announced its second annual Memorial Day fundraiser, which will aid Hire Heroes. Organizers said this week that for every CODE Facebook fan that "donates" their Facebook status to "honor a current military member or veteran," the group will add an additional dollar to Hire Heroes' current $20,000 grant. Hire Heroes USA is an organization that helps Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans land jobs, particularly vets who are injured or have disabilities. Facebook users have until Midnight, May 30, PDT (Memorial Day in the U.S.) to donate their status in an effort to raise the grant as high as $50,000. Activision founded CODE in 2009 in response to high unemployment rates for military veterans. Male veterans between the ages of 18-24 have an unemployment rate of 22 percent, while women vets of the same age have an unemployment rate of 15 percent, according to a March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement, "Last year's Memorial Day campaign was a huge success, and Hire Heroes USA has shown amazing results with their previous funding from the Call of Duty Endowment. We believe that this campaign can be an easy way for the public to volunteer to help veterans, honor those who served, and guide more employers to hiring veterans."