SCRANTON, Pa. — Representatives from Comcast are looking to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Scranton for the future of education. On Thursday, they presented the nonprofit with a check for $25,000.
"I think there's a lot of investment that they want with their STEM programs and really trying to look at the digital divide and how we really wanna focus on providing fast reliable internet from our side, but from their side making sure that they are getting a digital connection to the community," said Ricky Frazier Jr., Regional Senior Vice President of Comcast.
He says the donation is one of many grants the corporation has given out as part of its $1 billion commitment to advancing digital literacy education.
The grant will benefit more than 500 kids at the Boys and Girls Club in Lackawanna County, a number that staff says continues to grow.
"A lot of the funding helps to have our staff teach the kids the program and pay for the much-needed supplies such as computers, computer maintenance, and internet, and also to pay some utilities, keeping our lights on and doors open for the kids who need us most," said Julianne Cucura, the Boys and Girls Club Development Director.
After the check was presented, the day's honest work began.
More than a dozen Comcast volunteers teamed up to clean up around the nonprofit, from raking leaves to pulling weeds.
This is a big help for the non-profit, which has hundreds of kids come in and out of its doors every day.
"They obviously have a lot of foot traffic, a lot of people that come in and out," said Frazier. "So, really, we're just gonna help clean up some things indoors. We're gonna do some work outside, some landscaping, and some different areas that they need some support."
"We have about 200 kids coming in and out of our building on a daily basis, and we have to hire a cleaning crew to come in. So they're gonna come, and they're gonna clean and just make everything look great for our kids," said Cucura.