Cox Communications employees in the Gulf Coast Market have awarded more than $14,000 to local public and private schools through the Cox Charities Innovation in Education grant program.

More than 60 applications were received from local educators seeking funding.  After much deliberation, Cox employees who serve on the Cox Charities Selection Committee awarded the grants to the following nine schools:

— Global Learning Academy – Nicole Owens-Braggs received $1,449 for the Innovation Center.

— Lincoln Park Elementary School – Laura Hobbs received $2,097 for STEM Innovation in Makerspaces.

— McArthur Elementary school –Kristin Coates received $1,150 for the STEM Backpack Buddies program.

— Saint Mary’s Catholic School – Anne Marie Neiger received $2,500 for the Media Center and Computer Lab.

— Scenic Heights Elementary School – Ashlee Kinser received $900 for her Reading with our Kindergarten Friends initiative. 

— Warrington Middle School – Sara Ratliff was awarded $2,500 for the Oral History in the Digital Age program.

— Weis Elementary School – Emily McMillan received a $600 grant for her Grateful Gardeners.

— West Florida High School – John Dittmar received $2,500 for the Anatomy and Physiology program.

— Workman Middle School – Milly Sessions was awarded $500 for the School Gardens program.

“All of this year’s Innovation in Education grant recipients showed great creativity and the benefits of their proposed programs,” said David Deliman, market vice president for Cox’s Gulf Coast market. “It was a difficult selection process for our committee members to award these grants, but these nine programs rose to the top.  We can’t wait to see the results.”  

Cox Charities is an internal giving campaign where employees can set aside a portion of their paychecks to fund the local grants.  Money donated by employees in the Gulf Coast Market stays in the Gulf Coast Market.  A committee of 11 employees reviewed the 60 applications and selected the recipients.  

The Cox Charities Innovation in Education Program provides grants of up to $2,500 each to schools to fund classroom programs and curriculum that encourage and promote students’ ingenuity and imagination through the innovative use of technology.

For more information about Cox Charities, visit www.CoxCharitiesSER.org.