On Feb. 21 in a special reception, Cox Charities awarded seven Coastal Virginia nonprofits each with a $10,000 grant to support youth education, technology, mentoring and literacy programs. Cox Communications Virginia annually recognizes nonprofits that help local-area youth find educational success for bright futures through its Cox Charities program.
A statewide total of $150,000 in Cox Charity grants will benefit 15 charities during the 2016-2017 program year. Giving back to the communities where Cox Communications does business, five organizations in Northern Virginia and three in Roanoke will also receive $10,000 each. Through the charitable efforts of the Cox annual giving campaign and other fundraising events, the company is able to raise millions of dollars every year for non-profits.
Included here are the seven exceptional organizations receiving a check of $10,000 from Cox Charities:
An Achievable Dream – Using the SAME (Social, Academic and Moral Education) Curriculum, the charity helps children in poverty develop their education. Funds from Cox Charities will directly help 1,250 Newport News inner-city students through the workforce readiness program “What it Takes.”
ForKids – The grant will help support 135 homeless children attending Chesapeake Public Schools. Funds will help close the achievement gap and allow for students to access tutoring in programs such as the Children’s Education Program and Beyond the Bell.
Horizons Hampton Roads – Over 400 at-risk children from low-income communities in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach will benefit through 6-week summer programs. Funds help close the achievement gap in each city’s public schools.
REACH – Grant funds will assist the REACH (Reading Enriches All Children) Read-Aloud program developing literacy for nearly 1,000 Coastal Virginia children living in homeless and domestic violence shelters.
The Salvation Army – Hampton Roads Area Command – The grant will benefit The HOPE Village Program (Homeless Outreach for Personal Empowerment), which offers housing and counseling for homeless mothers and children. Funds will be used to help with tutoring, literacy comprehension, mentoring, computer lab sessions, field trips, the STEM summer camp program and the Back to School reading challenge for 69 students in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
The Up Center – Funds will maintain and develop The Up Center’s volunteer mentoring program helping South Hampton Roads children living in single-parent households. Based on the Big Brothers Big Sisters model of serving at-risk youth aged 6–17, this program served 139 youth in 2016.
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank – Supporting the Food for Kids BackPack program for students in low-income families, the grant will help provide children with proper nutrition to help with the learning process for students. Every Friday for 30 weeks, students will receive distributed food to remain nourished over the weekend and school holidays.
Senior Vice President and Region Manager J.D. Meyers II for Cox Communications Virginia remarked on the importance of charitable involvement with the youth of local communities, “We’re supporting youth education because it’s the right thing to do and because our future depends on it.” Further adding to the Cox Charities mission, “It is truly our honor to provide financial support to organizations in the Hampton Roads community that are working with young people to improve their lives and help them succeed. All children should have the same educational opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status; the Cox Charities grant program is in place to help eliminate those gaps that currently exist.”
For more information on Cox Charities’ philanthropy, grant qualifications and criteria for winning submissions, please visit their website.
