'Call of Duty' marathon raises funds to help veterans find jobs

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 53-hour "Call of Duty" gaming marathon streamed around the world is raising money to help veterans find jobs.

The gamers are playing the newest version of the game, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4," which came out Friday. It's all part of an effort to raise $100,000 for the Call of Duty: Endowment, which finds jobs for veterans.

"Any amount helps, it's not just the large ones. It's a cumulative amount of smaller donations that roll through and really, really help get that total up. Activision matches all the donations, so $5 become $10. Ten becomes $20," said gamer Tucker Boner, who goes by the gaming handle, @jericho.

For 53 hours straight, these gaming personalities, who have huge followings, will have their work streamed to the world.

"They bring their followers over here on the stream who also want to have a lot of fun watching them play 'Call of Duty,' but at the same time, encouraging them to do good by donating and helping our veterans in their quest to get meaningful employment," said Dan Goldenberg, the executive director of the Call of Duty: Endowment.

Since the program launched in 2009, 47,000 veterans have been placed into high quality jobs. And many of the veterans who benefit from the program are gamers as well.

Veterans, active duty personnel, military families and supporters: Join the ABC7 Salutes private Facebook group! Click here to join.

"The Call of Duty: Endowment is especially focused on our youngest veterans because they tend to struggle the most with both underemployment and unemployment," Goldenberg said.

In addition to finding veterans jobs, the endowment supports groups that raise awareness of the value veterans bring to the workplace. For more information on the Call of Duty: Endowment, visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.