The Call of Duty™ Endowment Announces 2017 Seal of Distinction Awards, Expands Program to U.K.
October 31 2017 - 12:38PM
Business Wire
Goodwill Southern California, Goodwill of
the Olympics and Rainier Region, and NextOp, Inc. Recognized for
Commitment to Veteran Employment in the U.S.
The Call of Duty™ Endowment (“the Endowment”) is proud to
announce the selection of Goodwill Southern California, Goodwill of
the Olympics and Rainier Region, and NextOp, Inc. as the 2017
recipients of the Call of Duty™ Endowment Seal of Distinction, the
standard of excellence in the veterans’ employment sector.
Recognized as a national leader in funding veteran employment by
the Philanthropy Roundtable, the grant program is in its fifth year
and is key to the Endowment’s success in placing veterans at
one-fifth the cost of U.S. Department of Labor efforts. Winners
each receive a $30,000 unrestricted grant and the opportunity to
apply for additional restricted funding, advice, and support.
“Goodwill Southern California, Goodwill of the Olympics and
Rainier Region, and NextOp, Inc. do a tremendous job helping
veterans find high quality jobs that are a great fit for their
talents and needs,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the
Call of Duty Endowment. “We’re pleased to honor these high
performing organizations’ impact with the Seal of Distinction.”
Goldenberg added, “We are also excited to expand our Seal of
Distinction Program to the U.K. this year. We are looking forward
to soon announcing the U.K. winners and forging partnerships with
these impactful organizations, as well.”
More about this year’s U.S. winners:
- Goodwill Southern California serves
veterans with vocational challenges by providing education,
training, work experience, and job placement services. In 2016 they
placed 752 vets throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, and San
Bernardino at an average cost per placement of $1,022.
- Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier
Region’s Military and Veteran Services
program assists transitioning military and veteran families with
job training and placement services by providing individualized,
holistic plans to help each participant succeed with the goal of
achieving career placement, retention, and long-term financial
education and stability. Last year, Goodwill of the Olympics &
Rainier Region’s Military and Veteran Services program placed 208
veterans at an average cost per placement of $1,076.
- NextOp, Inc. is a Houston, Texas-based
non-profit organization that places 1.5 veterans per day into
energy, construction, and manufacturing careers. Their mentors help
each transitioning veteran adjust to their new roles and cultivate
the necessary skills to excel, increasing satisfaction and reducing
turnover. NextOp has placed almost 1,000 veterans since
inception in March 2015 with an average 2016 cost per placement of
$1,559.
The Seal of Distinction program would not be possible without
Deloitte’s partnership and their thorough vetting of all Seal of
Distinction nominees.
“Deloitte is absolutely essential to our Seal of Distinction
model,” added Goldenberg. “Together we identify top performing
organizations and ensure that more veterans get back to work.”
“Deloitte is honored to assist with the Call of Duty Endowment
for a fifth year to help them identify organizations in the
veterans non-profit sector worthy of the Seal of Distinction,” said
Mark Goulart, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Once again, the
rigorous vetting process, with an emphasis on metrics,
transparency, and high standards, has helped the Endowment identify
organizations deserving of the Endowment’s support.”
Goodwill Southern California, Goodwill of the Olympics, and
Rainier Region, and NextOp join a distinguished group of non-profit
organizations recognized by the Endowment for successfully serving
veterans in their search for high quality employment. In the last
year alone, organizations supported by the Endowment placed 11,615
veterans into jobs at an average cost-per-placement of $619—less
than one fifth the cost of U.S. Department of Labor placement
programs. Since the program’s launch in 2013, the Endowment and its
grantees have placed more than 39,000 veterans into full-time
jobs.
This year’s Seal of Distinction recipients join an elite list of
non-profit organizations that are winners of the Seal of
Distinction and making a major difference in the lives of our
nation’s veterans:
- Career Source
Broward
- Goodwill
Southern California
- Able-Disabled Advocacy
- American Red Cross of Southern Nevada
- AMVETS
- Career Source Palm Beach
County
- CASY
- Easter Seals of DC, MD and VA’s
Veteran Staffing Network
- Hire Heroes USA
- Hiring Our Heroes
- JVS
- National Able Network
- Operation: Job Ready
Veterans
- Project Renewal
- Salvation Army Haven
- Still Serving Veterans
- Thresholds
- USC School of Social Work’s Center
for Innovation and Research for Veterans and Military
Families
- US Vets
- Veterans Inc.
- Veterans Leadership Program
- Weingart Center for the
Homeless
Applicants for the Call of Duty™ Endowment Seal of Distinction
must meet rigorous criteria to be considered, including opening
their books to provide extensive documentation about their job
placement results. The metrics assessed included number of
placements made, average cost per placement, average starting
salary, six-month retention rate, key employee background checks,
and a variety of organizational financial health indicators. All
qualified applications were initially reviewed and evaluated by the
Endowment’s outside Board of Advisors. Semi-finalists were
then independently assessed on a pro bono basis by Deloitte and
ultimately approved by the Endowment’s Board of Directors.
The Endowment’s initial goal in the US was to identify and fund
best-in-class organizations to place 25,000 veterans in jobs by the
end of 2018. That goal was met two years early, and has
subsequently and ambitiously been revised to placing 50,000
veterans into high-quality jobs by 2019. The Endowment launched its
Seal of Distinction program in August 2013 and to-date has awarded
more than $23 million in grants to previous Seal of Distinction
recipients, and Activision Blizzard has donated over $27 million to
the effort since inception in 2009.
About the Call of Duty™ Endowment:
The Call of Duty™ Endowment is a non-profit foundation
co-founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The
Endowment helps veterans find high quality careers by supporting
groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising
awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace. 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.
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Rubenstein CommunicationsJoy Phillips,
212-843-8096jphillips@rubenstein.com
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