Source: League Business Leaders Network Member Comcast
COMCAST DONATES $100,000 TO FOUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN DAUPHIN, LACKAWANNA, CENTRE AND ALLEGHENY COUNTIES
$25,000 Lift Zone Opportunity Grants Support Four Non-Profit Programs Provided at Comcast “Lift Zones”
PITTSBURGH, PA – November 3, 2021 – Comcast today announced it is donating a total of $100,000 in Lift Zone Opportunity grants to benefit low-income students and families in transitional housing in Harrisburg, Scranton, State College and Pittsburgh, part of marking the company’s 10th anniversary of its Internet Essentials program, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption effort for low-income households. Shalom House in Harrisburg, the NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton, the Centre County Youth Services Bureau in State College and HEARTH in Glenshaw are four of Comcast’s Lift Zone locations and will each receive a $25,000 grant to purchase computer equipment, make site improvements, host career workshops and fund staff training.
Beyond the financial grants, Comcast is focused on increasing broadband adoption in Pennsylvania through Lift Zones, which provide free WiFi access within select recreation centers, community centers, senior centers and public housing computer labs. In addition, the company offers hundreds of hours of free digital skills training to residents – allowing more students, seniors, veterans and others to learn how to get online for distance learning, job hunting, telehealth services, and more.
Shalom House, one of the four $25,000 grant recipients, operates a 28-day emergency shelter that provides temporary, safe housing to women and children experiencing homelessness in the Harrisburg area. “The Comcast Lift Zone located in our shelter has provided clients access to WiFi for essential needs like housing and job searches, online rental applications and remote schoolwork,” said Kyla Harvey, Executive Director of Shalom House. “This Lift Zone Opportunity grant will support our existing efforts to provide client-centered, tailored support to all clients entering the Shalom Emergency Shelter.”
The NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton operates an after school drop-in center for high school students from all backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ individuals who constitute a high percentage of the homeless youth in Lackawanna County. “Our Comcast Lift Zone has provided low-income, at-risk teens access to computers and WiFi to complete homework,” said Maureen Maher-Gray, Executive Director of NEPA Youth Shelter. “Comcast’s $25,000 Lift Zone Opportunity grant will fund technology equipment upgrades and a data backup system that will help us maintain digital access and reliability for our clients.”
Centre County Youth Service Bureau’s Stormbreak Girls Group Home is a community-based 24-hour group home facility serving youth from across Pennsylvania. “We are very grateful for the ongoing partnership we have with Comcast,” said Christine Bishop, Chief Executive Officer of Centre County Youth Services Bureau. “The Lift Zone at Stormbreak has given at-risk students the resources they need to avoid learning disruptions in order to succeed and achieve their full potential.”
HEARTH provides access to safe housing and supportive services to homeless families in Allegheny County. “As we have learned during the pandemic, families who are experiencing homelessness are dealing with trauma that limits access to technology and education and Comcast’s Lift Zone in Pittsburgh has build a bridge to our families by providing empowerment and access,” said Marisa C. Williams, Chief Executive Officer of HEARTH. “This $25,000 Lift Zone Opportunity grant will fund technology upgrades and equipment in a communal space that our families use for schoolwork, entertainment and reading, helping our transitional housing feel more like a home.”
These grant recipients are four of the 100 Lift Zone sites throughout Comcast’s Keystone Region, part of Project UP, Comcast’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.
“These grants will provide additional support to four Lift Zone partners whose work helps close the digital divide for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable families,” said Alka Patel, Vice President of External and Government Affairs for Comcast’s Keystone Region. “In addition to Lift Zones, Comcast’s Project UP has provided nearly 4,700 Comcast RISE awards to small business owners of color, including 23 throughout central and western Pennsylvania, and has connected more than 10 million low-income Americans to broadband service at home through Internet Essentials, including more than one million in Pennsylvania.”
Project UP & Comcast’s $1 Billion Commitment to Advancing Digital Equity
Comcast has been connecting more people to the Internet and the technology they need to participate and excel in an increasingly digital world for over a decade. Looking toward the next ten years, Comcast is building on that foundation and expanding its impact through Project UP, a comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach 50 million people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. For more information on Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital inequities, including the recent expansion of the Comcast RISE Investment Fund to provide millions in grants to small business owners of color and investment in research to increase diversity in the technology and digital fields, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.
About Internet Essentials
Internet Essentials is Comcast’s signature digital equity initiative and the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. In 10 years, it has helped connect 10 million low-income Americans to broadband Internet at home, most for the very first time. It has a comprehensive design that addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption. This includes multiple options to access free digital literacy training in print, online, and in person; the option to purchase a heavily subsidized, low-cost Internet-ready computer; and low-cost, high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month, plus tax. The program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners. For more information about Internet Essentials and Comcast’s commitment to education and digital equity, please visit https://corporate.comcast.com/education. To apply, visit www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376 for English or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information