15 Virginia Nonprofits awarded $150,000 from Cox Charities to support Youth Education Initiatives in Virginia
Imagine a world where all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, had the same opportunities to succeed. A world where access to learning was free and readily available; resources such as books, computers, paper, pens and teachers were available in their community; and summers were spent learning and preparing for the upcoming school year rather than letting the past year of educational instruction fall by the wayside.
It is an unfortunate reality: not all children have access to a safe environment to learn when they are not in school.
Nonprofits across Virginia have developed programs to address this issue. But, many don’t get the funding required to implement these much-needed programs. That’s where Cox Charities steps in. It’s the philanthropic arm of Cox Communications Virginia that annually awards grants to deserving nonprofits that want to provide services to today’s youth to help them be successful in school and get them on the right track to a bright future.
Programs like An Achievable Dream whose mission is to help children learn and succeed through education in an effort to break the cycle of poverty. Or, Educacion Para Nuestro Futuro’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), a college prep and leadership development program for low-income Latino and immigrant youth in Northern Virginia. Consider Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia who offers a Makerspace STEM program for K-12 children in low-income families who have limited access to programs in the Roanoke Valley.
These are just three of the 15 programs that Cox Charities supported this year through its 2016-2017 grant program. The charity provides funding to nonprofit groups supporting youth education, technology, mentoring and literacy within Cox Virginia communities. These grants, totaling $150,000, are part of the millions of dollars Cox Virginia contributes annually through cash and in-kind support to the communities where it does business.
These are the extraordinary organizations who will each receive a $10,000 Cox Charities grant this year:
Roanoke’s 3 nonprofits, awarded $30,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia – The Makerspace STEM program is for 150 K-12 children in low-income families who have limited access to programs. Delivers weekly after-school programming during the academic year and a 2-week summer day camp.
Child Health Investment Partnership of Roanoke Valley – Literacy for Little Ones is a program that aims to improve literacy for low-income children by providing books, home visits, and kindergarten readiness to 1,000 students. Additionally, offers story time reading events at the local library.
Total Action for Progress – TAP Project Discovery is a college-access prep program to help low-income youth, potentially first-generation college students, to realize post-secondary goals. Offered to middle and high school students and includes group mentorship, monthly workshops, field trips focused on STEM and one visit to a college each semester.
“It is truly our honor to provide financial support to organizations in Cox communities that are working with young people to improve their lives and help them succeed,” said J.D. Myers II, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Virginia. “We’re supporting youth education because it’s the right thing to do and because our future depends on it. All children should have the same educational opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status; the Cox Charities grant program is in place to help eliminate the gaps that currently exist.”
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 technology, innovation and/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.
The Advisory Committee is comprised of community and business leaders, and Cox employees. For more information on the Cox Charities grant awards program, please visit www.coxcharities.org.
