Cox Communications
(No. 18 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list) in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, announced Barrett Kennedy, Rory McCracken and Libby Nehrbass as the finalists for Louisiana’s 2016 Cox Conserves Heroes program. Voting is open through September 21 at CoxConservesHeroes.com.
The program honors volunteers in Cox’s service areas in Acadiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. A total of $20,000 will be donated to environmental nonprofits on behalf of the winner and finalists.
Baton Rouge’s Barrett Kennedy comes from a family with a strong commitment to community service. He is a state advocate for Leave No Trace Behind, a group that teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Through this work, he teaches people of all ages, particularly children, the importance of respecting their surroundings and preserving public land. His nonprofit of choice is The Teche Project.
Baton Rouge’s Rory McCracken is passionate about Louisiana’s gulf and its marine life. At only 17, he’s spent nearly half his life leading the charge to conserve and protect. He’s designed t-shirts and written books to raise awareness, as well as donated the proceeds to help benefit restoration and conservation efforts. One beneficiary of his support is Audubon Louisiana’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue program. His nonprofit of choice is Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).
Lafayette’s Libby Nehrbass is an advocate for coastal restoration. She’s participated in more than 30 volunteer events and volunteered more than 240 hours to help plant dune grass, participate in marsh plantings and support forest restorations. She travels across the state to the different types of coastal habitats that all require different methods of restoration. She’s personally planted more than 10,000 plugs of dune grass in Cameron Parish. Her nonprofit of choice is Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
Patrick Armstrong, Matt Thomas, Bart Everson and Jenga Mwendo are Louisiana’sprevious Cox Conserves Heroes. Combined these volunteers have removed nearly 10 tons of litter from New Orleans’ public outdoor spaces, preserved Baton Rouge’s lake system, created a non-motorized transportation trail and transformed an overgrown lot into a beautiful centerpiece for the community.
The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications. Cox Conserves Heroes takes place in Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana,Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington.
For more information, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com or Facebook.
Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero
