By: Jason Anderson

A group of students in Shenandoah University’s Esports program raised $1,050 to donate to the Call of Duty Endowment fund on the release weekend of the newest game in the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Members of the student organization known as the Esports Experience for Professionals (EXP) combined efforts to produce a 72-hour continuous stream in which all proceeds would go to the Call of Duty Endowment. 

The Call of Duty Endowment’s mission is to help veterans of the United States Armed Forces find high quality careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising the awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace. 

Christopher Scroggins, Instructor of Esports at Shenandoah University and the faculty advisor for the EXP, played a major role in the charity event. Scroggins mentioned that he secured permission from the Endowment to raise money for their cause on stream. He also supervised the students for the majority of the event.

When asked why the Call of Duty Endowment was the charity of choice, Scroggins said, “The students wanted to educate others about the ongoing problem of the unemployment of veterans after they get back from deployment, so they wanted to help in any way they could.” Additionally, he stated, “one of our students is a veteran so the cause hit close to home for them and the other students.”

There were, however, some obstacles that the streamers faced. Scroggins said, “We actually started the stream two hours and 40 minutes late because the servers for the game crashed.” He continued, “After we finally got the stream working, it lost connection the second day.” He went on to mention that the students faced the reality of how challenging it is to maintain and staff a 72-hour event. 

When asked what his favorite part of the weekend was, Scroggins said, “achieving our goal of $1,000 with two hours to spare.” He mentioned that the morale of the students increased substantially and helped boost their energy to finish strong. 

Besides the fact that the students raised over $1,000 for a great cause, Scroggins was happy to see the students gain valuable event management experience. “It was great to see students plan an event, fully staff it, and execute and produce a high quality product,” Scroggins concluded.