Press release from Cox Communications
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cox Communications employees have awarded a total of $40,000 in grants to four local nonprofits through Cox Charities Community Investment Grants. The program provides employee-funded grants of $10,000 to programs benefiting local residents. Nonprofits submitted applications earlier this year, and Cox employees voted on winning organizations. This year’s recipients of the Cox Charities Community Investment Grants are:
- IGB Education Corp. – IGB Education will use its $10,000 Cox Charities grant to expand its eight-week Summer Enrichment Camp, serving 50-60 students from low-income families in Alachua County. Funding will provide meals, STEM and literacy materials, financial literacy resources, and transportation, helping remove barriers and prevent summer learning loss while offering safe, structured care during a time when affordable options are limited.
- Caring and Sharing Learning School – Caring and Sharing Learning School will use its grant to expand hands-on STEAM and climate science education for 385 underserved students in Gainesville. Funding will support new learning tools, materials, and an enhanced school garden, enabling students to explore environmental systems and develop real-world sustainability solutions while strengthening academic outcomes and leadership skills.
- Peak Literacy, Inc. – Peak Literacy will use its grant to grow its evidence-based, one-on-one tutoring program for 20 students at Westwood Middle School in Gainesville who are reading below grade level. The funding will provide a full year of intensive, individualized support to improve literacy skills, helping students stay on track academically and build a foundation for long-term success.
- Star Center Children’s Theatre, Inc. – Star Center Children’s Theatre will expand its Stories That Speak program to increase access to literacy and arts education for underserved youth. Funding will support books, teaching artists, and production materials, allowing students to transform literature into original performances while building reading comprehension, confidence, and social-emotional skills in a safe after-school environment. The program will culminate in free community performances that amplify youth voices and engage families.
“Caring and Sharing Learning School is incredibly grateful to receive the Cox Charities Community Grant,” said Curtis Peterson, principal of Caring and Sharing Learning School. “This generous support means so much to our school and the families we serve. With this funding, we will be able to strengthen our Climate Action STEAM Innovation Lab and advance our Garden Revitalization Initiative. This investment helps us continue creating meaningful, lasting impacts in the lives of our children.”
Cox Charities, a charitable initiative of Cox Communications, is fully funded by Cox employees and business partners. The funds raised are invested annually as Cox Charities Community Investment Grants to organizations that align with our focus areas of youth innovation with programs focused on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM); conservation and sustainability initiatives; and equal opportunity…