August 6, 2024 – On Monday, August 5th, AT&T donated a new “Connected Learning Center” to the Boys & Girls Club of Fresno County, Clovis Club. This was a much-needed addition to the renovated nonprofit center that aims to give kids a place to learn, study, and have fun after school.
The Boys & Girls Club of America is a national non-profit organization that seeks to provide after-school programs for children. They have hundreds of chapters all over the US, including in Clovis and several cities within Fresno County.
The Clovis Club celebrates its’ 75th anniversary this year, according to various staff at the organization that put together the event. According to CEO/President of the Clovis Club Diane Carbray, this was the reason for several renovations to the property.
She explained, “I think when you renovate a club, kids feel valued, and so does the staff. They can see that as an administration, as a board of directors, we’re invested in this club [and] we want them to be successful.”
The new “Connected Learning Center” offers new computers for students in the club to use in a comfortable, welcoming environment, and is the 9th center of its kind to be opened by AT&T in California. This is part of a larger effort on AT&T’s commitment to open at least 100 new Connected Learning Centers by the end of 2027.
Marketing Coordinator Jessica Maxey explained that the computers haven’t been updated since 2005, so they are definitely in need of an update. She added, “Our goal is to enable young people to reach their full potential, and we do that with after school programs.”
She also further commented by saying that while it’s an after-school program, the nonprofit organization is also open all summer and winter long during school breaks.
The Club offers services such as homework help, free school supplies for the new school year, as well as learning programs for STEM, arts, sports, and health education, available with a very small contribution of $5 a year.
She also added a note of gratitude towards those at AT&T for gifting the club with this generous donation. Maxey stated, “I just want to say thank you to AT&T, they’ve been really awesome to work with, and they’re actually supporting us in other areas of our organization as well, and we’re just grateful for the partnership.”
Marc Blakeman, the President of AT&T for California and the Pacific States, spoke at the event as well. He shared the story of a girl who visited one of the Connected Learning Centers when it was first opened in California a few years ago.
Blakeman explained that the girl didn’t have access to a computer in her home to apply to college, so she visited the center and worked on her college applications there. She eventually got accepted to six colleges that she had applied to and officially made her decision to attend one while at the center.
This is the significance of what AT&T is providing this club and other areas with Connected Learning Centers across America. Through allowing people to have access to opportunities not available otherwise, they are not just providing computers; they’re providing futures.
Ending his speech to the audience, Blakeman added, “There’s a lot of great things that you can do on the internet, and this investment that we’re making not only comes to these great computers but with curriculum that teaches you how to use the power of the internet to help your daily lives.”
Those involved with this program at AT&T look forward to providing more Connected Learning Centers across California and the nation overall in the years to come with hopeful expectation.