To the Editor:
We are fortunate to live in a community that places such a high priority on ensuring that our children have the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. That priority is put into practice every day by Fairfax County Public Schools, the Fairfax County Government, and their Office of Public Private Partnerships (OP3), and community minded businesses like mine, Cox Communications.
I am proud to say that Cox Communications received the Outstanding Corporate Citizenship Award for Partnership of the Year from the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce for our partnership with Connect2Compete, a broadband adoption program for families with children on the national free lunch program. For $9.95 a month, qualifying families can have valuable access to information and resources. The Connect2Compete initiative has enabled hundreds of families with school-age children the ability to compete in school with their peers and is helping to ensure that economically disadvantaged children do not get left behind. Cox could not have been successful in the launch of this program, without the stalwart support of OP3, and our partners at Fairfax County Public Schools and the County Board of Supervisors. Fairfax County immediately embraced the program, saw the benefit it would bring to children in our region, shared information with families and fully partnered with Cox to bring these valuable resources to families in need. I am proud that Cox was the first cable company to partner with Connect2Compete to roll out this life-changing program.
As a father of two teenage girls, I see the important role that access to computers plays in their education. My daughters come home with many computer-based assignments and now standardized tests are administered electronically. But Internet access in the home has an impact on more than just children’s education. Employers frequently use the Internet to fill open job positions. A recent study revealed 94 percent of recruiters plan on using social networks to recruit and hire employees and 50 percent of today’s jobs require technology skills. Internet access for children and their families is critical to keep families connected to the things that are most important.
Cox’s aim with Connect2Compete is to level the playing field, give children the tools to acquire and maintain computer skills today, and set them up to succeed in the future. With our tremendous Fairfax County partners, we are making this happen. My thanks to the Chamber for the recognition, but more importantly, my thanks to our school, county and OP3 partners for your support in bridging the digital divide and ensuring bright futures for our greatest resource – our children.
I’d also like to congratulate our fellow nominees: Apple Federal Credit Union, HealthWorks for Northern Virginia, Transurban (USA) Inc., Volunteer Fairfax, Digital Management, Inc. (DMI), EY, SRA International, Inc., and Outstanding Corporate Citizen – Large Business Award winner, Northrop Grumman Corporation. I’m honored that Cox Virginia is included among such a top notch group of organizations, and pleased to know other companies in the area share our vision for investing in our communities.
J.D. Myers, II
Market Vice President of Northern Virginia Operations
Cox Communications