Cox Employees Donate $20,000 to Ben’s Bells

Inspired by Ben’s Bells, and seeing that we can all use some uplifting, Cox employees have launched a new initiative in Arizona called Connecting Through Kindness. The project is designed to encourage intentional acts of kindness by employees and members of the public.  One purposeful act of compassion, goodness and humanity can impact another for the better, creating positive change that radiates throughout our businesses, communities and world. To demonstrate its commitment, Cox has donated $20,000 to Ben’s Bells, an omnipresent organization that has motivated Tucsonans to engage in daily acts of kindness for 18 years. 

Helen Gomez, executive director of Ben’s Bells explains that being nice is not the same as being kind. “It’s easy to be nice and go along rather than to address an issue head-on.  Kindness is not always comfortable.  It takes practice,” she says.  

Beyond providing financial support to Ben’s Bells, Lisa Lovallo, Cox Market Vice President, Southern Arizona, is rallying Cox employees to power positive change one act at a time.  Lovallo says, “We talk about how our Cox products bring us closer. Now, we are kicking off Connecting Through Kindness by using our video production technology to help Ben’s Bells adapt its Kindness Curriculum, relied upon by hundreds of schools in Tucson and across the country.” 

Cox employees are already embracing their responsibility to engage in meaningful, daily acts of kindness. Field Operations Supervisor Rocky Shamburg is a member and Vice President of the Elk Riders, a riding group within the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. He learned of a local Navy veteran who was undergoing medical treatment and needed an access ramp added to her home. “We got together the money for the material and got to work,” says Shamburg.

Other Cox employees are volunteering directly with Ben’s Bells to help make the tokens that are so famous around the Old Pueblo while some are producing videos supportive of the Ben’s Bells Kindness Curriculum that teachers can share with their students. “We are very grateful for the partnership and to have Cox embrace the theme of connecting to kindness. The generous financial gift and technical support we have received from Cox employees will help us transform our Kindness Curriculum as we adapt it for virtual learning in these uncertain times,” says Gomez.

Still other Cox employees are organizing gifts of computers to support foster kids living in homes run by La Frontera and the GAP Ministries. These computers will be delivered in the coming weeks.

For her part, Lovallo is offering a series video lunches for Cox employees where courageous acts of kindness are modeled. Cox has also produced Ben’s Bells “Keep Tucson Kind” magnets for the entire fleet of Cox trucks and for employees to add to their personal vehicles. “This is just the beginning,” Lovallo explains. Echoing an analogy shared by Gomez, Lovallo says that kindness is like a beach ball. “We need to keep it in the air, pushed by each of us, one conscious kind act at a time.”