January/February 2016 Chamber Magazine FINAL

Cox Communications
Doubling Internet Speeds
and Adding In-Home WiFi
for Families
Cox Communications is furthering its efforts to connect
youth with technology by doubling the download speed
of the company’s discounted Internet service available to
low-income families with school-aged children through the
Connect2Compete program. Starting early next month, Cox
will also offer in-home WiFi as part of the monthly service
package of $9.95. Cox continues to narrow the digital divide
by actively promoting the advantages of the discounted
service available through the Connect2Compete program
throughout its 18-state footprint.
“With faster download speeds, families can readily access
richer educational resources online in half the time,” said
Kathryn Falk, vice president of public and government affairs
& Northern Virginia operations for Cox Virginia. “A fast,
reliable Internet connection gives students the ability to
access their assignments, conduct thorough research and
better collaborate on projects after the school day is over.
Parents can also use the connection to better communicate
with teachers and stay in the know with their child’s
education. It’s a win-win for the whole family.”
The Fredericksburg Area Association of
REALTORS® collects 11,000 cereal boxes
Members of the
Fredericksburg
Area Association of
REALTORS® (FAAR)
collected 11,000 boxes
of cereal for local food
banks in their annual
cereal drive.
First Choice Better Homes and Land collected the most
boxes, 2,889. Nest Realty, collected 1,486 boxes for the
highest per agent total of over 148 boxes per agent.
Century 21 New Millennium-Fredericksburg earned the most
improved office, collecting 2,291 boxes of cereal.
Fredericksburg named best
quality of life for small city
According to personal finance website WalletHub, Fredericksburg
has the best quality of life in any American small city.
The list, “2015’s Best & Worst Small Cities in America,” was
released Tuesday and ranks Fredericksburg as the 37th best
overall small city out of 1,268 in America to live in, but first
when it comes to quality of life.
The quality of life metric was based on commute time,
how much the average person works, amenities such as
restaurants, coffee shops and fitness centers and the number
of new people moving in.
The other metrics included in a city’s overall score were
affordability, economic health and education & health.
The city also came in first for the number of restaurants per
capita. In that category, Fredericksburg tied with Sarasota,
Myrtle Beach and Duluth.
Germanna President
Nominated for
Literary Prize
Germanna Community College President David A. Sam
has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, an award for
literature from small publishers.
Some of the nominations will be selected for publication in the
2017 edition of “Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.”
Sam was nominated for his poem, “Taconic Orogeny,”
published this fall in the Vine Leaves Literary Journal.
Previous winners of the award, first given in 1976, include
Joyce Carol Oates at an early stage in her writing career.
“I am pleased and honored that the editors thought highly
of my poem,” Sam said.
Sam, the author of “Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves,”
a semi-autobiographical 2014 book of poems, was born
and spent his early childhood in McKeesport, Pa., a coal and
steel suburb of Pittsburgh. Later, his family relocated with his
father’s factory to Belleville, Mich., a Detroit exurb. Much of
his childhood was passed exploring railroad tracks, woods,
lakes, and rural farm fields, and they were the source of
much imagery in his poetry.
Goddard School
opening in
Southpoint
The Goddard School, an early childhood education provider
with more than 400 franchised locations nationwide, is
opening a Massaponax branch in January 2016.
Located at 10060 Southpoint Pkwy., the local franchise
is owned by married couple Gary and Lori Lucy. The new
8,100-sqaure-foot building was built by Taft Construction
and is expected to open mid-month in January.
Donohue wins Distinguished
Achievement Award
University of Mary Washington
alumna Janel Donohue received the
Patricia Lacey Metzger Distinguished
Achievement Award at the university’s
22nd annual Leadership Colloquium on
Thursday, Nov. 5.
Janel Donohue
The Metzger award recognizes
individuals who uphold high standards in their personal and
professional lives while fulfilling a career goal of significant
stature. The award has been given annually since 1999 in
memory of Patricia Lacey Metzger, a UMW professor and a
founder of the colloquium.
Donohue currently serves as president of Rappahannock
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Fredericksburg Regional Business
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016