When the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (ULSTL) approached us with the idea of working together to open the first AT&T Connected Learning Center® in St. Louis, Missouri, we didn’t hesitate in jumping on the opportunity to join forces with such a trusted community organization.
Having roots that date back to as early as 1910, the ULSTL has more than a century-long dedication to St. Louis. With 22 locations in the city serving the community by providing help with college, employment opportunities and more, the ULSTL “walks the walk,” in terms of uplifting and empowering the people of St. Louis.
Now, with a Connected Learning Center within their headquarters, they can offer their neighbors even more – a dedicated space to access a computer, Wi-Fi, tutoring and mentoring. All of which are resources that, in today’s world, are necessary to tap into social and economic opportunities.
Celebrating more opportunities.
The St. Louis Connected Learning Center is the 30th center AT&T has launched nationwide, edging us closer to our goal of opening more than 50 by mid-2024. To celebrate, we held a ribbon cutting event in early October to break in the new Center within the ULSTL. The event brought together members of the community to see and experience everything the center has to offer.
Along with ULSTL President and CEO Michael McMillan, we had the opportunity to hear from Greater St. Louis, Inc. CEO Jason Hall and Worldwide Technologies Chief Digital Officer and Head of Diverse Services, Marlan Hardie.
The celebration continued after we cut the ribbon, as AT&T volunteers joined the ULSTL at their Jennings location to distribute 300 laptops to families in the area that don’t own a laptop. Thanks to our wonderful collaborations with Dell, which donated all of the computers, and World Wide Technology, which donated their time to provide IT support for imaging and installing the computers, the new center is up and running.
Building on relationships to serve communities.
Our work in our communities is driven by our motivation to help connect people to opportunities and achieve their goals. We do that best when we work together with community organizations that share our vision and are equipped with invaluable insight into what their communities need most. One of our strongest partners in fulfilling this mission is the National Urban League (NUL).
Working with the NUL as part of our Connected Learning Initiative, we’ve been able to bring digital resources to communities across the country by opening Connected Learning Centers within their local affiliates.
The nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement, the NUL has a presence in communities across the country and has earned the trust of the communities they serve.
- Earlier this summer, we opened our first Connected Learning Center inside the Indianapolis Urban League.
- A few days before we opened the Center in the ULSTL, we worked with the Urban League of Louisiana to open our 29th center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Also in St. Louis, we’ve collaborated with other organizations for device distribution events with local Boys & Girls Clubs, including:
- 100 laptops to Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club of St. Louis.
- 100 laptops to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis.
Whether it’s their commitment to supporting students inside and outside of the classroom, to getting people the economic opportunities they need to succeed, or connecting them to resources they need to thrive, these efforts serve as a bridge to opportunity.
Investing in our Missouri networks.
While we work hand-in-hand with our allies on the ground to give people the space, devices and skills to utilize the internet, we’re also investing to give them high-speed connections outside of our Connected Learning Centers.
We’ve invested more than $3.2 billion in the St. Louis metro area1 to expand connectivity so that people have access to the internet. Not only do St. Louis homes and businesses have access to AT&T Fiber, bringing upgraded connectivity and more opportunities, but the city also has access to 5G and 5G+, keeping individuals connected on the go.
We understand how a connection can transform everything, and we’re excited to see the St. Louis community make the most of the tools and resources provided by the Connected Learning Center, laptops and our AT&T Fiber and 5G networks.
1 Includes parts of Illinois
