Corporate Citizenship is Multi-Million Dollar Tradition for Cox

Corporate Citizenship is Multi-Million Dollar Tradition for Cox

Northern Virginia Nonprofits Benefit from $10 Million in 2008

HERNDON, Va., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications continues its long-standing tradition of giving back to the community, contributing $10 million in cash and in-kind donations to more than 200 Northern Virginia area nonprofits in 2008. The company, which annually donates millions to nonprofits, focuses its contributions on programs and projects supporting youth, education and technology.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080717/NETH028LOGO )

"Supporting the communities where our customers, employees and their families live and work is at the heart of our commitment to being a good corporate citizen," said Janet Barnard, senior vice president and general manager for Cox Northern Virginia. "It's never been more important than right now when so many nonprofits are seeing their budgets shrink as the demand for their services grows."

Good corporate citizenship is one of the pillars of Cox Communications' commitment to service. Nationally, the company contributed over $100 million to nonprofit organizations around the country last year.

In the Northern Virginia area, the company concentrates on local grassroots initiatives that make a direct difference in the community. For example, Cox works closely with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fairfax County and Fredericksburg. Last year, the company partnered with Fairfax County to open new sites, provide free Internet and video service to the clubs and continued its pledge of financial support. Additionally, through the Cox Connects Community Fund grants, the company provided $50,000 to local community-based after-school programs.

During the 2008 presidential election season, nearly 1,200 Fairfax County high school students participated in the Cox/C-SPAN 2008 Campaign in the Commonwealth Tour, taking part in mock debates and elections at West Potomac and Oakton High Schools.

Cox and the NFL Network partnered with the Washington Redskins and Poe Middle School in Fairfax County for the first Keep Gym in School program to help raise awareness of physical education and activity in America's schools. As part of the kick-off event $50,000 was donated to Poe Middle School to build an outdoor track and refurbish the school's weight equipment room.

In celebration of Northern Virginia's great diversity, the company held several community events including the annual Cox Hispanic Heritage Festival, which attracted 7,000 people to the Herndon Town Green. This was the sixth year Cox has hosted the celebration, which includes Latino food, music, dancing and entertainment.

To address a critical shortage at area food banks, Cox held its first Northern Virginia food drive, collecting nearly 3,000 pounds of food for Food for Others. Thanks to the generosity of area residents and Cox employees, enough food was donated to provide 2,700 meals for families in need.

In addition, nearly 100 Fairfax area nonprofits were featured on the Cox Local Edition of CNN Headline news. This opportunity allowed nonprofits to showcase their programs before a large viewing audience.

Cox employees are also active advocates of the company's culture of corporate responsibility. Local employees volunteered over 500 hours at schools and community events last year. And many of the company's leaders sit on boards of Northern Virginia nonprofit organizations.

About Cox Communications:

Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6.2 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network. Cox Business is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com, www.coxbusiness.com, and www.coxmedia.com.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080717/NETH028LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Cox Communications

CONTACT: Gwen Sparks of Cox Communications, +1-703-480-4916

Web Site: http://www.cox.com/

-------
Profile: intent