Today, Cox announces a grant to The Mentor’s Project in Macon with a  $5,000 grant to focus on quality education and poverty reduction programs. The Mentor’s Project in Macon provides role models for students who need additional support outside their family to succeed academically, socially and personally. During the pandemic, it also has been serving meals to as many as 500 families weekly. 

“The additional support is critical now, as the underserved children we serve, 95 percent of whom live at or below the poverty line, need devices and hotspots to participate in learning,” said June O’Neal, executive director of The Mentor’s Project. “This grant has been a tremendous blessing and has enabled us to leverage additional resources in order to serve more children.” 

“Cox knows organizations focused on social justice are more critical to our community than ever before,” said Bonnie Lopez-Crowe, Middle Georgia market vice president. “Committing additional dollars to support their work is just one way we can support the goal of racial and social equity.” 

More than $40,000 has been designated in the Southeast Region to help champion inclusion and support organizations that work for social justice and civil and human rights across the nation. Cox’s Southeast Region includes the Gulf Coast markets of Pensacola, and Ft. Walton Beach; the Central Florida markets of Gainesville and Ocala; the Middle Georgia markets of Macon and Warner Robins; and Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana. Employees helped identify and select the most impactful non-profits in their markets.

In addition to these grants, Cox has implemented several programs to bridge the digital divide, which is thought to disproportionately disadvantage minority families. Its Connect2Compete program, which offers internet service for $9.95/month to qualifying low-income families, includes two free months and free remote technical support for those who sign up by Dec. 31. Eligibility guidelines and application instructions are available at www.cox.com/c2c. During the pandemic, Cox has assisted school systems and thousands of families with K-12 students get online access.

Cox also has granted $100,000 to PCs for People, a nonprofit that provides high-quality, refurbished computers at a discount for those who qualify for Connect2Compete, so that computers can be distributed throughout Cox service areas.  In addition, Cox assembled an online learning platform, theCox Digital Academy, full of computer literacy tips, educational videos, tutorials and interactive games.