When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, it devastated the Gulf Coast and upended the lives of 1,200 Cox employees — 226 of whom lost everything. In response, employees came together just days later to launch the Cox Employee Relief Fund, a lifeline for colleagues in crisis.
Within months, 4,700 employees had donated $1 million, matched by Cox Enterprises. Vendors contributed another $643,000, bringing the total to $2.7 million — all dedicated to helping our people rebuild their lives.
FROM CHAOS TO CARE
For Chaunti Chase, a lead product manager in premium support services at Cox Business, the storm was a turning point. She was living in New Orleans at the time and had no idea Katrina was expected to make landfall.
She and her daughter evacuated to Woodville, Mississippi, where they endured two weeks without electricity, sleeping in 95-degree heat, washing down ready-to-eat meals with warm water. She bathed her daughter by candlelight.
When they returned to New Orleans, Chaunti found her rental home damaged and looted. But thanks to Cox, she continued to receive her paycheck, and the company covered healthcare premiums while she was displaced.
CERF IN ACTION
CERF provided critical financial support to help her rebuild. “Having access to cash to pay for necessities like food, gas, clothes and temporary housing lifted the burden on those basic hierarchical needs,” Chaunti said.
She also remembers the donations: new and gently used clothing, shoes, bedding, car seats, cribs, outerwear, camping gear — even appliances. After relocating to Atlanta, Chaunti has been proud to continue a 25-year career at a company that provided help when she needed it most.
“It’s small acts of kindness like the ones demonstrated through CERF and the Cox culture that fueled my decision to stay and grow my career here.”
LEADING THROUGH DISASTER
During the 2017 hurricane season, Duane Ritter was senior vice president of Enterprise Security and led the crisis management team as storms affected employees in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
“The team came together to not only provide emergency supplies, generators, employee accountability and security support, but also spoke with employees in need of assistance and coordinated those requests with CERF,” Duane said.
Now an executive security consultant, Duane recalled efforts after a hurricane brought intense flooding to Houston.
“The team procured a boat, and a volunteer security team went door to door in many cases to ensure our employees were safe and to get them to CERF-provided housing,” he said.
Though he has seen many employees at a low point in their lives, Duane has also seen the smiles, tears and gratitude when they find out Cox and CERF truly care about their well-being.
CERF’S IMPACT AND EVOLUTION
Over the past two decades, CERF has provided over $18 million in assistance to more than 8,000 employees. It has repaired nearly 1,500 homes, helped with more than 700 cases of specialized medical care, and made nearly 1,800 mortgage payments due to various eligible hardships. Just last year, CERF gave $1.4 million to employees facing unexpected financial hardships.
For Adrana France, program manager for CERF, the fund’s impact is deeply personal. “A defining moment for CERF came during Hurricane Harvey,” she said. “I’ll never forget one employee who was too afraid to go to a city shelter and stayed in her car. We were able to get her funds for a hotel and food — support that made a real difference.”
CERF has evolved to meet changing needs. In addition to employees affected by natural disasters, it currently provides support for those facing unemployment of a domestic partner or spouse, the sale or foreclosure of leased property, illness, injury, and death of a family member. It also provides food allowances.
“Your dollar makes a difference,” Adrana said. “This program was created for us, so we have a responsibility to take care of it.”
Illness
Injury
Loss of a family member
Natural disaster
Unemployment of domestic partner or spouse
Sale or foreclosure of leased property
EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS
There are several ways to donate to CERF:
Set up a regular payroll deduction in Workday
Make a one-time credit card donation
Text “CERF” to 44321
Donate Spark, PROPS or Amplifi points
Donate in $1 increments using the Everyday app — available at select Cox campuses