Comcast Awards $50,000 to Neighborhood House
Comcast, in partnership with Telemundo Utah and Senator Luz Escamilla’s Office, awarded Neighborhood House, on the west side of Salt Lake City, a $50,000 grant.
Ecosystem
If your neighborhood were to build a community pool, imagine the reactions of your neighbors if the neighborhood were to provide just the foundation and the water. Your neighbors are told to simply go out and swim. There are no lifejackets and no instructors for lessons. On the Westside of Salt Lake City, there exists a deep digital divide, and Comcast is in the business of providing lifejackets to this area. This is the analogy articulated by Deneiva Knight, External Affairs Director for Comcast in describing a public-private partnership that is committed to expanding digital opportunities for residents of the Westside.
As part of this partnership Comcast, Telemundo Utah, and Senator Luz Escamilla’s Office, awarded Neighborhood House in west Salt Lake City with a $50,000 grant to provide a digital navigator service. Neighborhood House clients will receive 150 laptop computers to be used at home and at the Neighborhood House Lift Zone. Lift Zones and grants to community centers, such as the grant to Neighborhood House, are part of Comcast’s Project UP, a $1 billion commitment from Comcast to create opportunities for digital advancement. Neighborhood House Utah has been a Comcast Lift Zone since 2020, which means the location receives free, high-speed Wi-Fi to help serve its community.
Neighborhood House plays a critical role in caring for the residents of the Westside. The nonprofit provides affordable care programs including preschool, daycare, and support to low-income children, the elderly, and adults with disabilities. In 2020, Neighborhood House was designated as a Lift Zone, a site which has been equipped with free WiFi and digital development tools from Comcast.
“We are Neighborhood House. We want to provide a house for the neighborhood,” said Levi Webb, Program Services Director for Neighborhood House. Webb grew up in Rose Park. His father was involved with Neighborhood House in the late 1950s, his niece participated, and now his niece’s children, Webb’s grandnephews, benefit from the offerings of Neighborhood House. The support Neighborhood House provides is comprehensive and often generational, and the partnership between the nonprofit and Comcast is no exception.
Webb emphasized that parents are often left out of the equation for digital preparedness. The transition for adults from a phone to a computer, as observed by Webb, can be a steeper learning curve. Comcast’s support connects parents with digital resources and access to a part-time digital navigator who will be on-site to help train individuals in digital skills.
Deneiva Knight, in addition to being Comcast’s External Affairs Director, also serves as a board member for Neighborhood House. Her commitment to the nonprofit has included observing the types of questions the community asks. Knight determined it important to create a program focusing on workforce development and digital skills. Funding from Comcast makes this type of program possible. The program's curriculum is anticipated to be rolled out in early 2025.
Over the past three years, Comcast's community partnerships in Utah have totaled $5.2 million in cash and in-kind contributions to more than 90 local non-profits, which includes the installation of 30 Lift Zones across the state providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi service to local community centers.
For more information on Comcast’s dedication to digital transitions and upskilling, and for more details about Project Up, click here.
