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Member and Community News
MEMBERANDCOMMUNITYNEWS WINTER 2022
Cox Communications Expands Internet Affordability Program to Help Close the Digital Divide
Cox Communications has broadened its affordability portfolio by expanding its low-cost internet tier, ConnectAssist. The newly expanded offering is one of Cox’s many efforts to create digital equity and is designed for low-income households who don’t qualify for Connect2Compete, which is designed for families with children in grades K-12 who are enrolled in government financial assistance programs. “Helping to bridge the digital divide and bring digital equity to low-income households is important to us,” said Ingo Hentschel, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Communications in California. “We want to do what we can to eliminate the technology gap for people of all ages in our communities, which is why we’re expanding our low-cost internet options to include ConnectAssist.”
Frontwave Named Best Credit Union in San Diego Reader Poll Two Years Running
Frontwave Credit Union has been named San Diego’s Best Credit in the 2021 San Diego Reader’s Best-Of Poll. Each year, the San Diego Reader invites San Diegans to nominate their favorite businesses, restaurants and activities to be named to the Best-Of list. The top 5 nominees in each category then go headto-head in a month-long voting process. This year, hundreds of thousands of votes were cast and Frontwave was honored to be selected as the Best Credit Union in San Diego! In addition, Frontwave Credit Union was named runner-up in the Best Mortgage Company category. “There are a number of terrific financial institutions in our community so it’s a huge honor to be voted as the best of the best,” said Bill Birnie, President/CEO for Frontwave Credit Union. “For nearly 70 years, we’ve been committed to making financial dreams come true. This recognition affirms that we are delivering on our vision to be the best place our Members have ever banked. It’s all thanks to our marvelous Dream Makers who demonstrate their commitment and dedication to our Membership and the communities we serve every day.”
Oceanside Senior Volunteer of the Year Announced
The recipient of the Oceanside 2021 Senior Volunteer of the Year Award was announced at the annual Senior Expo hosted by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce at Civic Center Plaza. Oceanside resident Shirley Thralls was awarded the honor, remarking, “Helping has always been in my blood.” Ms. Thralls, aged 90, has been an active volunteer with the Tri-City Medical Center since 2008 where her upbeat, outgoing personality was well appreciated. Shirley has also been a dedicated volunteer at the El Corazon Senior Center since 2009, greeting guests, conducting facility tours, and making calls to check in on seniors. During COVID’s “stay at home” orders, Ms. Thralls helped make over 1,500 calls to Oceanside seniors to help coordinate shopping trips, doctor visits, and more. Shirley shares her helpful knowledge of Oceanside community services with all who stop by the Senior Center during her volunteer hours – over 750 hours per year at the El Corazon Senior Center alone. Thank you Shirley!
U.S. Early Education Provider Develops Caring Series to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Other Viruses
Children’s Paradise Preschool and Infant Centers (“Children’s Paradise”) announced the release
MEMBERANDCOMMUNITYNEWS WINTER 2022
of an operational system of posters, signage and tags that outline how to combat COVID-19 and other viruses in settings that care for children from infant to five years of age. Lina Borja, Director of Children’s Paradise in Oceanside has made masks for families at the center. The Sweet Teams program supports children, educators, preschools, and daycares, and the community using step-by-step strategies to keep learning centers, play yards and common areas safe and healthy. Children’s Paradise’s operational system is the only known platform in existence for these types of centers. Most guidance and templates being provided at the state and local levels pertain to grades K-12.
Scripps Gives 1,500 COVID-19, Flu Shots at Del Mar Fairgrounds Vaccine Station on First Day of Operation
During the first day of operation of the new Scripps Health vaccination station at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Wednesday, 1,000 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots and 500 influenza vaccine were provided to Scripps patients and employees. And while appointments at the station have been filled quickly, there were still appointments available to Scripps patients and employees in the following weeks. Appointments may be made through the MyScripps portal. “With flu season under way, there’s no better time than now to get immunized against influenza and COVID-19,” Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder said. Van Gorder and Ghazala Sharieff, M.D., M.B.A., Scripps chief medical officer for acute care, clinical excellence and experience, were at the fairgrounds to administer the vaccines. “It’s safe to receive both vaccines at the same time, and Scripps wanted to make getting both vaccines as easy as possible by providing both vaccines at Del Mar,” Dr. Sharieff said. “There is no reason to hold off on protecting yourself as much as you can from these potentially serious and deadly diseases.”
The City of Oceanside received an Award of Excellence during the WateReuse Conference this month. Oceanside received the Recycled Water Outreach/ Education Program Award for Pure Water Oceanside, which pays tribute to an agency that demonstrates a significant and wide-reaching community outreach and/or public education program that informs the community about the presence and benefits of water reuse. Scheduled to be complete in 2022, Pure Water Oceanside will be the first fully operational indirect potable reuse project in San Diego County providing more than 32% of the City of Oceanside’s water supply. The City has implemented strategic public outreach and education in order to provide an interactive experience that highlights the importance of this project. The City of Oceanside offers a bustling tour program, which allows you to directly experience and interact with program operators, engineers, and project managers. Videos, and educational material highlight the many benefits of Pure Water Oceanside
including decreased dependence on imported water, using one-third of the energy required to desalinate seawater, helping to make Oceanside more drought-resilient, protecting the groundwater basin from saltwater contamination, and protecting the environment by reusing a precious resource.
MiraCosta College Named in Top 150 Community Colleges to Compete for $1 Million Aspen Prize
The Aspen Institute has named MiraCosta College as one of the 150 entities eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, one of the nation’s highest awards honoring achievement and performance of America’s community colleges. The colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success, as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. “It is an honor to be included amongst the top 15 percent of community colleges invited to compete for the Aspen Prize,” explains Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, MiraCosta College Superintendent/ President.
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