Comcast awarded a $25,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield to help advance digital literacy skills at the Club’s Comcast Technology Lab, where students learn engineering, coding, design, computer science and critical-thinking skills. These grants are part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators.
“I am grateful to Comcast for providing the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield with a grant that helps strengthen the future of our great community,” said West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt. “We know that equitable access to technology skills and development opportunities is essential, and programs like the ones at the Boys & Girls Club’s Comcast Technology Lab will continue to help close the homework gap and advance economic mobility.”
With this $25,000 grant, the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club will be able to add new iPads and STEM kits to its current inventory of digital skills tools and training currently utilized by more than 300 students at the Club’s Comcast Technology Lab. The Lab opened in 2021 and is powered by a Comcast Lift Zone, which enables the students to have access to free, high-speed WiFi in addition to hundreds of hours of free educational content.
“Comcast’s support of the club and our kids has been invaluable,” said Dan D’Angelo, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield. “From the installation of a Comcast Lift Zone during the height of remote learning to today’s grant, Comcast’s generosity continues to provide our students with a place to explore technology-related interests, which empowers them to engage in new experiences while growing their digital literacy and life skills.”
“We understand the important role that the Internet and digital literacy plays in helping build a future of unlimited possibilities for everyone in the community,” said Carolyne Hannan, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Western New England Region. “We are proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield in their efforts to provide students with the tools, resources and opportunities they need to participate and excel in an increasingly digital world.”
This grant is part of Comcast’s ongoing commitment to Massachusetts, where the company has invested more than $958 million in technology and infrastructure over the last three years, including upgrades to its local network.
Comcast is deeply committed to advancing digital equity in the communities it serves. Over the past three years, the company has invested over $59 million in cash and in-kind contributions to 240 non-profits in Massachusetts. This investment includes digital equity programs such as Internet Essentials and Lift Zones. Since its inception in 2011, Comcast’s Internet Essentials has connected more than 620,000 low-income Massachusetts residents to broadband service at home. Additionally, Comcast has launched 77 Lift Zones in Massachusetts to provide free, high-speed WiFi service to local community centers to promote digital learning.
For additional information on Project UP and Comcast’s digital equity initiatives, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.
