Charter Communications Rolls Out $30M Initiative to Boost Community Centers

STAMFORD, Conn. – Charter Communications, Inc., has launched a five-year, $30 million initiative to revitalize community centers in rural and urban areas, and invest in job training programs in underserved communities across the 41 states it serves.

By 2025, the telecommunications and mass media company says, the philanthropic initiative it calls Spectrum Community Assist, will have provided 100 community centers across the country with new technology, 1 gigabit high-speed internet service, and financial support for job skills training programs.

The program, which kicked off this past weekend at the Better Family Life Community Center in St. Louis, Missouri, will also pay for needed building refurbishments and repairs.

The next community center project will kick off next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in November, a community center in the company’s home town of Stamford, Connecticut, will be the focus of its efforts.

“Community centers are hallmarks of our neighborhoods; people turn to these centers for support, shared experiences, and for help developing new job skills or finding employment,” said Rhonda Crichlow, senior vice president and chief diversity officer for Charter, which operates the Spectrum brand of internet, TV, mobile and voice services.

“Seven years ago, we set out to make a difference in our communities through Spectrum Housing Assist, which provided critical home repairs for low-income homeowners,” she said. “Spectrum Community Assist is a natural evolution of that successful effort, extending our support for the communities we serve to local centers and organizations providing important programs and career development training.”

Through Spectrum Community Assist, Charter will partner with national and local nonprofit organizations to identify and improve community centers in underserved areas in need of support. 

At each center, revitalization events with employee and community volunteers will be held to repair and enhance the physical buildings. 

Charter also will invest in the centers’ job training efforts with cash grants and in-kind contributions, improve physical classroom spaces and provide new equipment, including laptops and furniture. 

Additionally, because broadband is a critical component of a community center’s infrastructure, Charter will offer each community center its advanced 1 gigabit internet service.

Physical improvements to be completed by Charter employees and community volunteers at the Better Family Life Community Center include painting, landscaping and light construction. Charter’s investment also will provide a new smartboard, chairs and 25 new laptops for a newly refurbished classroom, which will be unveiled as the Spectrum Training and Technology Center. 

Additionally, Charter will donate $50,000 to Better Family Life to support its career development programs, which will enable more individuals to take advantage of the center’s job training offerings. Additional support will be provided to ensure connectivity through the company’s advanced suite of Spectrum broadband services.