Chicago Heights, IL (March 16, 2023) – Comcast joined Illinois Second Congressional District Representative Robin Kelly (front center), Chicago Heights, IL, Mayor David Gonzalez (far right) and others to announce a $13,500 donation to the Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center to support digital skills and workforce development training. The grant also was used to purchase new furniture and additional technology at the organization’s “Lift Zone,” which Comcast opened onsite in January 2021. Lift Zones are WiFi-connected safe spaces where students can get online to do schoolwork and adults can get online to build digital skills, search for jobs and access an array of services.
Comcast also announced the donation of 75 new laptops to the Jones Center, as well as Mentoring Youth Through Technology and Southland Ministerial Health Network, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote digital equity in South Suburban Cook County. The initiatives in Cook County stem from Project UP, the company’s $1 billion, 10-year commitment to making digital equity a reality.
“I appreciate Comcast’s continued investment in our south suburban communities and its long-term efforts to close the digital divide,” said Illinois Second Congressional District Representative Robin Kelly. “Partnerships between government, community-based organizations and the private sector are critical to making digital equity a reality across our state.”
“Digital equity is one of the most pressing current social justice issues,” said Jones Center Executive Director Cheryl Roop. “Comcast’s continued support will help the kids and families we serve succeed in today’s increasingly digital world.”
The Jones Center Lift Zone is one of more than 1,250 Lift Zones throughout the country and more than 90 in this region alone. Other South Suburban Lift Zones are located at the Cornerstone Community Development Corporation in Ford Heights and the Richton Park Public Library. The Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, a low-cost Internet adoption program for low-income families, which has helped more than 10 million people in America – 1.6 million in Illinois – connect to the Internet at home since it was launched in 2011.
“Through Internet Essentials and our partnerships with elected officials, school districts, libraries and community-based organizations across the state, Comcast has helped hundreds of thousands of Illinois households cross the digital divide,” said Carl Jones, Jr., Comcast’s Regional Vice President of Government and External Affairs. “I’m proud that Comcast was a pioneer in closing the digital divide early on and continues to make investments and offer solutions that further our commitment to the communities we serve through Project UP.”
Jones also noted that the federal “Affordable Connectivity Program” (ACP) provides eligible low-income households a credit up to $30 a month toward the cost of their Internet and/or mobile phone service, including all of Comcast’s Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Mobile plans, as well as Internet Essentials. Jones added that ACP would cover the full cost of Internet Essentials. For more information, visit www.xfinity.com/acp.
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