On a beautiful fall day, my team and I joined area business, civic and government leaders, including Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, and community residents, to celebrate the impact of the AT&T Connected Learning Center (CLC) in St. Louis and announce AT&T’s $25,000 community investment in the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (ULSTL). The investment supports the CLC at the ULSTL headquarters on Kingshighway Boulevard, which first opened in October 2023.

As part of the renewal celebration, we also teamed up with Compudopt to provide a “Tech for Life” digital literacy training workshop for area adults. AT&T and Compudopt also provided 150 laptops to local families.

The AT&T Connected Learning Center at the ULSTL was the first in St. Louis.  It includes access to computers that were installed in collaboration with Dell Technologies and St. Louis-based World Wide Technology, along with free AT&T Fiber. 

Since the CLC opened in October 2023, thousands of area residents – from school-aged students to older adults – have participated in programming, such as computer-literacy classes, open labs, job fairs and more, according to the Urban League.  

This effort is part of our company’s initiative to help address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption. AT&T is committing $5 billion to help 25 million people nationwide get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030.

Michael McMillian, president and CEO of the ULSTL, and his team have been great collaborators on this initiative.

During the celebration, he said: “We have worked with AT&T on a variety of programs over many years. Our ongoing relationship is a great example of the good things that can happen when nonprofits and companies team up to uplift their communities.  We are grateful for the opportunity to host this CLC, and we look forward to empowering more area residents with tools for success.”

Other local business leaders joined us for the celebration.

Ron Kitchens, managing partner of Greater St. Louis said: “The greatest force for change in any community is a good job. Whether you’re on a job site or in an office, success in today’s workplace starts with a digital connection. When people are left offline, our region leaves talent on the table. That’s why we’re grateful to the Urban League and AT&T for rolling up their sleeves to close the digital divide, building the talent pipeline our employers need and creating more and better jobs for families across the St. Louis region.”

At AT&T, we believe access to technology and digital skills helps open doors to greater possibility. The Urban League has been a great collaborator with us as we’ve sought to close the digital divide and equip St. Louisans with the tools and skills necessary in the digital age. 

Check out some of the local news coverage in the St. Louis American and on KTVI-TV. And, check out photos of the event here.

It was a great celebration, and we’re grateful to have such strong partners who share our commitment to our city and our neighbors.   

Learn more about AT&T in Missouri at Missouri.att.com.