Cox Charities Virginia Awards $135,000 to 15 Non-Profits Supporting Youth and Education Initiatives

CHESAPEAKE, Va., March 16, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Cox Communications Virginia awarded $135,000 in grants to 15 non-profit organizations in Virginia through the Cox Charities grants program.  Cox Charities provides funding to non-profit groups supporting youth, education and technology within Cox Virginia communities.  The grants presented are part of the more than $6 million Cox Virginia contributes annually through cash and in-kind support to the communities where it does business.

The organizations selected to receive Cox Charities grants are:

Hampton Roads

• Samaritan House - $5,000 grant for the Kid's Harbor Summer Learning Expedition.  This is a partnership with Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, Ubasti, and ARDX to provide six weeks of academic and experiential learning opportunities focusing on STEM to homeless children.
• Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters - $5,000 grant for Reach Out and Read at CHKD.  This is an early-literacy initiative for children 6 months to 5 years. Hampton Roads pediatricians advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and give developmentally-appropriate books to children at their well-child checkups.
• Children's Health Investment Program (CHIP) - $10,000 grant for the Bridges to Academic and Parenting Success program at Norfolk's Open Campus. This CHIP program teams a Parent Educator & Registered Nurse to provide health improvement services and parent education to expectant and new parents. The Parent Educator uses Parents as Teachers, a research-based curriculum that increases parent knowledge of early childhood development and improves parenting practices; provides early detection of developmental delays and health issues; prevents child abuse and neglect; and increases children's school readiness and school success.
• The Up Center - $10,000 grant for Team Up Mentoring,   an award winning volunteer mentoring program initiated by The Up Center in January of 2008. The program strives to improve the lives of children primarily living in single-parent families and youth in foster care by matching them with an adult mentor who can provide a stable and positive influence. Team Up is based on the Big Brothers/Big Sisters model, which has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on mentees including improved academic performance, behavior and attitudes.
• An Achievable Dream - $10,000 grant for the Social, Academic and Moral Education (SAME) Curriculum.  An Achievable Dream is a nationally recognized K-12 educational program dedicated to the belief that all children can learn and succeed regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds and that education can break the cycle of poverty. Through an innovative public and private partnership with the school district, they operate two schools committed to helping students develop the academic foundation, skills, aspirations, character, and habits they need to be successful adults.
• Downtown Hampton Child Development Center - $10,000 grant for using technology to bring classrooms to life for at-risk preschoolers by purchasing an interactive whiteboard and all the software and training needed. In addition, it will upgrade its slowest and most out-of-date classroom desktop computers, some of which are 13 years old. They will also teach parents about how best to use technology for learning opportunities at home and on-the-go, during one of its free evening workshops for families.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula - $10,000 grant for RoboClub, improving STEM programming options by introducing a new Robotics program throughout the Clubs. They will partner with Newport News Shipbuilding to help implement this program and will use the LEGO MINDSTORMS system. Incorporating this program will introduce the club's youth to education and potential careers in STEM fields. Boys & Girls Clubs of America's technology courses, such as Skill Tech and Club Tech, will also benefit from the introduction of this program.

Northern Virginia

• FACETS Cares - $10,000 grant for the FACETS Cares Education and Community Development Program that enriches the lives of children living in one affordable and three government-subsidized housing communities in Fairfax County. They provide high-quality after-school and educational summer programming to children and youth whose intellectual and emotional needs are shortchanged by poverty. Programs include tutoring, mentoring, peer and reading groups and "fun" educational activities such as Wacky Science, CSI for Young Detectives, and Teen Cuisine. Their programming is designed to help children succeed in school and make healthy life choices, ultimately helping them break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.
• Falls Church-McLean Children's Center - $10,000 grant for Building a Foundation for Learning.  The Center provides children, primarily from low-income, working immigrant families, a safe, high-quality learning program to overcome developmental delays resulting from their family's limited resources and build essential skills to levels expected for success in school and life. While their parents work, children ages 2 thru 5, receive nutritious meals and healthy snacks, time for exercise, free play, and guided learning activities. This year, they are expanding their program to address the need for before- and after-school care for 6- thru 8- year-olds, providing the same, supportive environment that nurtures curiosity, self-esteem and foundational skills in language, science, math, and technology.
• Main Street Child Development Center - $10,000 grant for the "Success by Six" Early Childhood Education Program, providing critical early learning services to 125 children from predominately low-income families; 76 percent of children qualify as low-income based on USDA's income guidelines. Funding will help provide children with 3,000 hours/year of nationally-accredited educational instruction and enrichment; 6:1 student-teacher ratio to meet the at-risk students' emotional needs; on-site mental health support to address students' behavioral challenges; 2 nutritious meals and 2 snacks daily at no additional cost to families; and emergency tuition assistance when a parent loses childcare subsidy due to employment or health issues.
• Children's Science Center - $10,000 grant for Mobile Labs Family Science Nights.  The grant will support the Children's Science Center's Museum Without Walls (MWOW) education outreach program to purchase supplies fund resources for Family Science Nights at 27 Title I schools.
• Northern Virginia Community College Education Foundation - $5,000 grant for engaging underrepresented minority youth in STEM through competitive robotics.  NOVA SySTEMic Solutions has partnered with the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) Afterschool Technology Centers to expand the pipeline of underrepresented students pursuing STEM.  Through VEX robotics competition, low-income, minority students will learn problem-solving and computer skills and gain experience designing and building a robot. Grant funds will support the participation of VEX robotics teams at six NCS centers in 2015. This program offers an inspiring and transformative experience for potential first-generation college students, who are more likely to pursue STEM opportunities after working with college student mentors and the robotics team experience.

Roanoke

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia - $10,000 grant for Project Learn, which reinforces academic enrichment and school engagement for 115 youth annually ages 6-18 during time spent at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia (BGCSWVA). Project Learn is based on research demonstrating that students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, but academically beneficial, activities. Two hours per day are dedicated to these high-yield learning activities (leisure reading/writing activities, technology guidance/supervision, homework help and engagement with mentors), that develop cognitive skills. PL emphasizes parent involvement/ collaboration between Club and school professionals as critical factors in creating the best after-school learning environment.
• Smart Beginnings Greater Roanoke - $10,000 grant for VSQI: Quality Early Care & Education.  Smart Beginnings Greater Roanoke (SBGR) is a collaborative of community leaders from business, school systems, nonprofits and private individuals who are working together to ensure that every child in Greater Roanoke enters kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed in school and life.
• Greenvale School - $10,000 grant for Educational Jump Start, focused on four primary objectives: 1. Providing an on-site mentor to strengthen teacher educational skills in literacy, math and science; 2. Securing educational resources such as math, science and literacy materials, classroom teaching aids and toys that encourage development within student and teacher interaction; 3. Updating the Greenvale School library and its collection of books; and 4. Developing a Reading Club for Greenvale students and their families.

"Giving back to the communities where we do business is at the core of our company values and an important part of our operations here at Cox," said J.D. Myers II, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Virginia.  "We're proud to give back to these 15 outstanding organizations.  They are doing great work to enhance the lives of others, groom our future leaders and set them up for success."

Philanthropy through Cox Charities:

Cox Charities awards grants on an annual basis and is open to qualifying organizations. Qualifying organizations must provide education programs that further the academic achievement and development of young people through science and technology, mentoring, literacy and other areas promoting youth education.

Criteria used in selecting the winning submissions, included (but was not limited to): how well the applicant demonstrated a pressing need; how well the applicant demonstrated use of innovation or creative techniques in service delivery; and how well the applicant demonstrated the sustainability of the program as well as the ability for their program to be replicated.

Cox Communications is grateful to the Advisory Committee of distinguished representatives who selected the winning organizations. The Advisory Committee is comprised of community and business leaders. Cox Charities Virginia Advisory Committee members are:

Hampton Roads  
Beatriz Amberman, Chair, Virginia Latino Advisory Board   
Golden H. Bethune-Hill, Hampton Roads community leader   
The Honorable John A. Cosgrove, Senator, Virginia Senate   
Emma Inman, Director of Public Affairs, Cox Virginia  
Glenn Oder, Executive Director, Fort Monroe Authority  
Scott Sale, Executive Director of Client Support, Cox Communications  
Jagdish A. Singh, President of Citizens First and Member of Virginia Council on Human Rights  
The Honorable Ronald A. Villanueva, Delegate, Virginia General Assembly   
The Honorable William E. Ward, Former Mayor, City of Chesapeake   
Rose West, Manager of Experiential Marketing, Sentara Healthcare  
Edith G. White, President/CEO, Urban League of Hampton Roads  
Ex-Officio:  William R. Reid, EVP, Charitable Pledge Processing

Northern Virginia  
Jim Corcoran, President and CEO of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce  
Eileen Ellsworth, President of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia   
Kathryn Falk, Vice President, Public and Government Affairs and Vice President of Northern Virginia Operations, Cox Virginia  
J.D. Myers II, Senior Vice President and Region Manager, Cox Virginia  
Forrest Parker, Regional Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fredericksburg   
Jeanne Sanders, Executive Director of Volunteer Fairfax  
Patricia Stevens, Executive Director of the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships (OP3) 

Roanoke  
Beth Doughty, Executive Director, Roanoke Regional Partnership  
Frank Rogan, President and CEO, United Way of Roanoke Valley  
Dr. Robert Sandel, President, Virginia Western Community College  
Vonya Alleyne, Vice President of Roanoke Operations, Cox Virginia

For more information on the 2014 grant awards program and how to apply for a grant, visit www.coxcharities.org.

Media Contact:  Emma Inman, APR, 757-222-8432 or emma.inman@cox.com

About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and home security and automation services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves approximately 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and digital media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For eight years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity nine times, including the last eight years. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.