Las Vegas Cable Executive and Community Leader Steve Schorr Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Service Protecting Children

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Jul 15, 2010, 02:15 ET

LAS VEGAS, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications-Las Vegas Vice President of Public and Government Affairs, and longtime community leader Steve Schorr was honored today with the J. Pat Finley Child Protection Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual State Clearinghouse/Non Profit Organization (NPO) National Conference, an annual invitation-only gathering held jointly with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The conference takes place in Savannah, Ga., July 14-16. The award, honoring individuals who have performed more than 20 years of outstanding service to protect children from abuse, crime and exploitation, will be presented at a luncheon on July 15.

"When personal passions and corporate missions align, it's magical -- and Steve's work exemplifies this," said Marilyn Burrows, senior vice president and general manager at Cox Communications-Las Vegas. "Cox has a longstanding history of supporting youth and education in the communities it serves, and Steve has taken that commitment to new levels with his unwavering efforts for youth and children in our community. We here at Cox are very proud of Steve."

Schorr was nominated for the Finley award due in part to his involvement in helping address the plight of missing children in Southern Nevada. He was a key founder of Nevada Child Seekers, a Southern Nevada non-profit organization created in 1985 to help families of missing children and law enforcement agencies. As a voice for children, he has helped educate the community about child abduction and the dangers that exist on the Internet. He was instrumental in the integration of cable television resources with the Nevada AMBER Alert notification system. And he has been an active participant in Cox's National Teen Summit on Internet Safety, part of the company's Take Charge! initiative to help parents, guardians and kids make smarter media decisions.

"We're delighted to present this award to Mr. Schorr; an admirably community-minded individual and dynamic child advocate who has worked selflessly in the spirit of everything the J. Pat Finley Child Protection Lifetime Achievement Award represents," said Gary O'Connor, program administrator at Appleton, Wisconsin-based Fox Valley Technical College, the institution that administers nominations and selects the recipient of the Finley honor.

About Schorr, Stephanie Parker, executive director of Las Vegas-based Nevada Child Seekers notes, "Since our founding 25 years ago, Steve has been our guiding voice and tireless advocate for the cause of missing children. Through his vision, his energy and his personal convictions, he has allowed us to touch the lives of 13,000 children each year, and to help us recover hundreds of missing children annually. We owe him and his equally committed employer -- Cox Communications -- our deepest gratitude."

In addition to his work with Nevada Child Seekers, Schorr has focused on helping find homes for Nevada's orphaned special-needs children through "A Welcome Home," a public awareness initiative. He also founded a health initiative called "Cox Healthy Kids & Families" for local youth.

Schorr currently serves as a board member for the National Urban League, Nevada Ballet Theater, Clark County School District Partnership, Nevada State Cable Telecommunications Association, and Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center. In recognition of his ongoing commitment to children and education, the Clark County School district dedicated the Steven G. Schorr Elementary School (2007) in his honor; a privilege Schorr considers his greatest honor.

About the J. Pat Finley Child Protection Lifetime Achievement Award

The award was established in honor of James Patrick Finley, a Johnson City, Tennessee city manager, training consultant and program administrator who dedicated his life to public service. During his career, Finley came to the aide of the Fox Valley Technical College and was influential in preparing the organization's successful proposal for a new contractor to provide child protection training to law enforcement and other child protection professionals. From that point, Finley served as the administrator of the Federal Grants Area, later known as the Child Protection Division. Under his leadership, he successfully developed training on Child Abuse, Child Exploitation, Child Fatalities, School Safety, Gangs and Drugs, AMBER Alert, Internet Crimes Against Children and programs developed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Finley's judgment in selecting instructors and content was so successful that Fox Valley Technical College became the largest provider of child protection training in the U.S. with a nationally-recognized child protection training program that has graduated more than 120,000 professionals. In recognition of his accomplishments, Fox Valley Technical College established the J. Pat Finley Child Protection Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented annually at the invitation-only State Clearinghouse/NPO National Conference.

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves more than 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising.

Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For seven years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; for five years, Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

SOURCE Cox Communications