Sparklight®, a member of the Cable One family of brands, recently awarded a $7,500 grant to Brazoria County Head Start Early Learning Schools, Inc. (BCHS) through the company’s Charitable Giving Fund. Through this program, the company awarded more than $100,000 in grants during the winter of 2021 to 32 nonprofit organizations across its 24-state footprint.
BCHS, an Early Childhood Program providing case management and school readiness for families and children to foster self-sufficiency and family stability, received a grant from Sparklight to support its STEMM-FE (science, technology, engineering, math, multilingual and family engagement) initiatives for children and families served in Brazoria County.
“We’re excited to design and create STEMM-FE interactive workstations with experiential activities to include in our new STEMM-FE Mobile Lab. This mobile lab will travel to our campuses in the community and give children an opportunity to interact with different STEMM activities,” said Jacqueline Mercer, BCHS President & CEO. “Experiential learning activities have children engage with materials that allow them to discover and explore STEM concepts in a developmentally appropriate way and by bringing in the Multilingual aspect, it celebrates the cultural backgrounds of the families we serve. Funding from this grant will support our STEMM-FE initiatives and provide educational opportunities that increase digital literacy for children and teachers and close the digital divide in underrepresented communities within our county.”
The Charitable Giving Fund annually awards more than $200,000 in grants to local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations served by Sparklight and the other Cable One family of brands (Fidelity Communications, ValuNet Fiber, and Hargray), and concentrates support in the following priority areas:
- Education and Digital Literacy
- Food Insecurity
- Community Development
Nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity to apply for a grant during open application periods each spring and fall. Applications for spring 2022 grants will open between April 1 -30, 2022.
“Through our philanthropic initiatives and support of our local nonprofit organizations, we are helping to build strong and vibrant communities, improve quality of life, and make a positive difference in the cities and towns where we live and work,” said Julie Laulis, Cable One President and CEO.
The Charitable Giving Fund is an extension of the company’s existing corporate social responsibility efforts, which include:
- Chromebooks for Kids, an initiative in which the company donates Chromebooks to Title I schools across its footprint. To date, the company has donated more than 2,000 Chromebooks to help bridge the digital divide in schools that lack funding.
- Supporting national organizations dedicated to advancing racial equality, justice, education and diversity, including the Equal Justice Initiative, the Emma Bowen Foundation and the National Diversity Council.
- Supporting the mission of Special Olympics Arizona, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports, as well as health, arts, and leadership and advocacy programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
- Planting trees through the Arbor Day Foundation on behalf of customers who switch to paperless billing. To date, the company has planted 120,000 trees in its markets and national forests.
- Supporting the mission of Keep America Beautiful in cleaning up and beautifying communities across the U.S.
For more information about Sparklight’s Charitable Giving Fund, visit www.sparklight.com/charitablegiving.