Cox Communications Grants Homeless Students Online Assistance

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A donation of six laptops and increased bandwidth will aid young students of the Orange County Rescue Mission, Cox Business says. The internet provider learned of the urgent need for funding for the 2020-2021 school year , with 61 students going back to virtual school.

With Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to start all schools virtually, the Rescue Mission had a mere two weeks to ensure its homeless children had everything they needed for remote learning.

This included the need for increased internet capacity.

"Once we were able to create a social distance learning environment right here at Village of Hope, we realized that we also needed to upgrade our internet bandwidth in order for our children to be successful in their schooling during this unprecedented time," says Jim Palmer, President of Orange County Rescue Mission. "We knew Cox has consistently demonstrated a commitment to bridging the digital divide through their community partnerships, and with their programs like Connect2Compete, so we reached out to Cox Business."

In addition to Cox Business supporting the Rescue Mission during the transition to distance learning this Fall, Cox Communications also supports families in need throughout their service areas obtain internet access through their Connect2Compete program.

Through September 30, 2020, Cox plans to waive late payment fees and work with those who qualify for the program and may be experiencing hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Households must have at least one K-12 student and participate in a government assistance program in order to qualify.
"By providing laptops and increasing the bandwidth at the Rescue Mission, we are helping to ensure that all children living at the Village of Hope have the technology tools they need to succeed in the current distance learning environment," says Jodi Duva Vice President of Cox Business in Orange County. "We hope that these contributions have a positive and lasting impact on these kids and their education."

Thanks to Cox Business' solutions, we can ensure 61 homeless children at the Village of Hope have the connectivity they need to succeed in a remote learning environment.

To donate and help further bring a quality educational environment to these homeless children, please visit www.rescuemission.org/distance-learning-campaign/. For questions about donating, please call (714) 247-4343.