Spectrum Community Center Assist Celebrates 50th Launch Milestone

Community centers have long served as the heart of our neighborhoods, providing a central space where residents can come together to connect and receive support. They offer educational and skill-building opportunities, access to technology and resources for job seekers. Spectrum Community Center Assist (SCCA) establishes long-lasting partnerships with these organizations and recently celebrated its 50^th partnership launch. The revitalization event for Climb Wyoming, which offers free job training and new careers for single moms, marked SCCA’s halfway goal to 100 partnerships. 

Launched in 2021, SCCA is a strategic philanthropic program that provides laptops and furniture as well as improves the physical condition of community centers in underserved rural and urban communities throughout Spectrum’s 41-state footprint. Roughly 60% of SCCA’s partners are in urban areas including Denver and Los Angeles, while 40% are in rural areas like Cheyenne, Wyo., and Duluth, Minn.

The initiative also supports programs that provide job training for the people in these communities.

Spectrum Community Center Assist Impact: By the Numbers

28,700+ Participants in job trainings or career readiness programs. Spectrum invests in job training efforts for community centers’ new and existing programs. For example, Better Family Life in St. Louis, a longtime partner of Spectrum, has seen an increase in the number of participants in their job training and career readiness programs, which has nearly quadrupled from Q1 2022 to Q4 2023. The direct-service organization offers programs and services to build strong families and vibrant communities.

5,900+ Individuals attained jobs. From job skills training, interview practice and resume workshops, SCCA has helped more than 5,900 SCCA community center clients secure jobs. In California, Vanessa A., worked her way up to assistant manager at a sandwich shop and later lost her job unexpectedly. Determined to advance her skills to find a new job that also offered benefits, she turned to the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, where she participated in a bookkeeping training program with a focus on financial literacy skills. After completing the course, she was offered a position as an assistant bank manager at a nearby bank. Having started the program as a student, Vanessa later came back to the organization as one of the financial literacy presenters.

1,400+ Laptops distributed. An important mission of SCCA and many of its partners is to help bridge the digital divide. At each partnership launch event, Spectrum donates laptops in addition to other equipment including desks, workstations and Smartboards. This donation benefited many participants at the Lakeview Community Center, including residents of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), which owns and manages property and administers rent subsidy programs to provide eligible low-income individuals and families with affordable housing in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The organization provides Lakeview village residents with a series of in-person and virtual events. During these events, 30 residents participated in digital inclusion classes and 26 residents obtained certifications. One participant used lab computers to update her resume and apply for new jobs. 

7,200+ Volunteer hours by Spectrum employees. Employee volunteers – more than 1,480 since the program’s launch – have dedicated their time and efforts at SCCA events across the company’s service area. 

1 Gigabit internet service provided to community centers. Broadband is a critical component of the community centers’ infrastructure and – through the SCCA initiative – they also receive complimentary gigabit broadband service from Spectrum.

More information about Spectrum Community Center Assist is available here.