CHARITY OPERATION SUPPLY DROP AND JOINT FORCES INITIATIVE FORM MUTUAL VETERAN SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP FOR 2016
Military Support Organizations Announce 2016 Partnership to Connect Veterans and Professional Athletes through Competitive Gaming, Enhance Awareness at Major Entertainment Events
Washington, DC and Austin, TX (January 5, 2016) – Military charity Operation Supply Drop (OSD) – the world’s most generationally relevant support organization for veterans and active duty military – today announces an exciting partnership with Joint Forces Initiative (JFI) to extend the reach of their “Pro vs. GI Joe” program, developed to connect active-duty military and veterans with pro athletes through fun and competitive video game events.
Launched in 2007 by Greg and Addie Zinone, JFI is a non-profit organization with strong ties to and excellent relationships with sports teams, athletes, and leagues – including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and more – enabling troops all over the world to compete head-to-head against some of their favorite athletes in games such as Madden, Call of Duty, and Halo.
In early 2016, OSD has committed to work closely with JFI to host over thirty offline and online “Pro vs. GI Joe” events for the benefit of veterans and active duty military. This collaboration bolsters OSD’s Thank You Deployments program – where veterans are given VIP insider access and tours of top entertainment events – adding JFI’s highly-successful “Pro vs. GI Joe” events to the experiences available. Both organizations will jointly attend the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at a co-branded booth, advocating for and promoting the support of military veterans.
“We’ve been operating JFI for eight years and it works really darn well. But I knew that there was more that could be done,” said Greg Zinone, founder of Joint Forces Initiative and the “Pro vs. GI Joe” program. “With Operation Supply Drop by our side, we’ll be able to provide bigger events, bigger experiences, more one-on-one personal relationships built between our pros and our troops, and more lifelong connections made between our vets. It’s those reasons, combined with the reputation that Operation Supply Drop has established for itself, that we are excited to partner with them. It’s time to make some incredible things happen for our troops!”
“I’ve personally been a long time follower of Joint Forces Initiative, and we’ve been in talks for quite some time about collaborating in a meaningful way,” said Operation Supply Drop CEO Glenn Banton. “Both Operation Supply Drop and Joint Forces Initiative have finally grown to a point where we can effectively form a partnership and collaborate in new, bigger ways. The ‘Pro vs. GI Joe’ program is one example, where video games bring together people for exciting shared experiences.” He adds, “Being able to connect veterans with some of their favorite professional athletes over Call of Duty, Halo, or Madden is a wonderful additional way to give back to our active duty military and veterans.”
ABOUT OPERATION SUPPLY DROP
Founded in 2010, Operation Supply Drop is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that brings veterans and civilian supporters together. Focused on combating depression, suicide, homelessness, and unemployment, OSD is the world’s most generationally relevant veteran support organization, serving U.S., NATO, and ANZAC veterans and active duty via three core programs: The Teams (local volunteering and support, uniting civilians and veterans), Supply Drops (video game care packages and morale building events), and Thank You Deployments (gaming insider, entertainment and other exclusive VIP experiences). To date, OSD has raised over (U.S.) $8 million in monetary and in-kind donations and served over 30,000 veterans and active duty military worldwide. For more information, please visit here.
ABOUT JOINT FORCES INITIATIVE
Founded in 2007 as ‘Pro vs. GI Joe’ by husband Greg Zinone and wife U.S Army Staff Sergeant Addie Zinone, Joint Forces Initiative’s mission is to boost the morale of the men and women of the U.S. armed forces with gaming and sports related activities. JFI leverages its relationships with professional sports teams and leagues – the NFL, NBA, NCAA and more – to connect pro athletes with troops deployed overseas for online video game matches. JFI additionally holds gaming tournaments through their “Game to Give” program, and bring troops to live sporting events for a collective salute with their PVGIJ Salute program. For more information, please visit here.
Related: Operation Supply Drop Provides Video Games to Wounded Veterans at Brooke Army Medical Center
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