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."