Spectrum has donated $90,000 to the YMI Cultural Center to support families in Asheville.

The YMI Cultural Center received a $50,000 cash contribution and $40,000 in in-kind support through Spectrum Community Center Assist, the company’s $30 million philanthropic initiative aimed at revitalizing local community centers and investing in job training programs in underserved neighborhoods.

Spectrum launched the partnership Saturday, April 26, at the YMI Cultural Center, where employees and community volunteers helped repair and improve the facility.

The YMI Cultural Center is the 52nd community center to partner with Spectrum. As part of the support, the center will receive 1-Gig internet service for the life of the program. Volunteers and center members also celebrated the opening of the Spectrum Training and Technology Center, which features 20 new electronic devices and a smartboard.

Following the revitalization event, Spectrum hosted a Community Impact Day at Pack Square Park, featuring resource booths from local service agencies, a DJ, local cuisine, refreshments and giveaways.

Spectrum also presented a $1,000 donation to Asheville Buncombe Christian Ministries (ABCCM). Spectrum volunteers spent the day supporting ABCCM programs that aid families in need, including rental and utility assistance to prevent homelessness, food support to combat hunger, and clothing and hygiene services to restore dignity.

“These partnerships will make a real difference in the lives of local residents as Western North Carolina continues to recover from Hurricane Helene,” Rahman Khan, group vice president of community impact for Charter Communications, which operates the Spectrum brand, said in a news release. “Spectrum is dedicated to strengthening communities we serve and supporting these residents by providing a lab and workforce training will help their recovery long-term.”

Spectrum previously committed $1 million to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, including $250,000 in cash donations and $750,000 in in-kind public service announcement airtime to support relief organizations.

“At the YMI Center, we provide tools and resources to empower individuals to achieve upward mobility,” Executive Director Sean Palmer said in the news release. “Spectrum’s generous investment in a new training and technology lab will support and deepen our mission for economic empowerment — a mission that literally extends itself from our very beginning in 1893! We are excited to partner with Spectrum to create a synergy between innovation and this age-old mission.”

Spectrum launched Community Center Assist in 2021 and plans to invest $30 million to benefit 100 community centers and job training programs across its 41-state service area. Each investment includes cash grants, in-kind contributions, physical improvements to facilities, and new equipment, including laptops and furniture.

“Spectrum is going the extra mile to give back to communities they serve,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said in the release. “This support from Spectrum is a fantastic investment in families in the Asheville area. It will go a long way and I’m excited to see the great impact these programs provide to our community.”

Courtesy of 828 News