Nonprofit Restore Education Teams With Spectrum Community Center Assist to Improve Career Training

Miquella – a single parent with an infant – had fallen on tough times, with no place to call home and few job prospects. Providing a good life for her baby and herself seemed near impossible. Until one day she told the staff at the local shelter where she was staying that she wanted to continue her education. They connected Miquella to Restore Education, a nonprofit that partners with Charter’s Spectrum Community Center Assist program, which changed her life.

Restore Education is dedicated to helping young adults complete their education. Based in San Antonio, the non-profit organization offers services from basic literacy and English language learning to high school equivalency, career training, and college support.

Career Training That Goes Above and Beyond  

Miquella enrolled in Restore Education’s medical front office program, which provides instruction on medical office operations — including medical terminology, payment and billing, ethics, and how to communicate with patients. She since has become certified and is now qualified to begin a career in healthcare. Graduates of this program also are eligible to take the American Medical Certification Association’s (AMCA) Medical Administrative Assistant Exam.

“Restore Education has done so much for me,” she said. “Everyone I talk to, I ask them if they feel like going back to school and I let them know there’s an organization that can - and wants to help them,” she said.

Today, Miquella is completing her second certification course in phlebotomy with a goal of enrolling in nursing school.

A Perfect Partner for Spectrum Community Center Assist

Restore Education’s variety of services and focus on career training made it a natural candidate for partnership with Charter’s Spectrum Community Center Assist (SCCA) program, an initiative that supports community centers across its 41-state footprint to improve or develop job skills training programs for local residents in need.

In November 2022, Spectrum launched its partnership with Restore Education, which included a $50,000 donation, as well as free gigabit internet, a smartboard and Chromebooks. Spectrum employees also volunteered during the kick-off putting together desks, chairs and other furniture donated as part of the SCCA contribution.

“Restore Education has never had a corporate partner come in with this level of intentionality and commitment to our mission and our space,” said Kelli Rhodes, President & CEO of Restore Education. “Our campus is home to our students' wildest hopes and dreams - and with this contribution we can elevate our space and engage new students, new supporters, and more community partners. We are truly grateful.”

Spectrum also held a Community Impact Day in partnership with Restore Education that included a resource fair for community members in need. The fair was open to students and their families and brought together other nonprofits that offer free healthcare and other city resources to help those in need.

Spectrum’s Community Impact Day events are an opportunity for Spectrum to engage more broadly with the communities it serves and to amplify its community investments and overall goodwill. They bring together the surrounding community to showcase the community center’s work, invite other nonprofit organizations that are providing critical services to connect with the surrounding neighborhood residents, and add a component of fun, family-friendly activities and entertainment. The mission of Spectrum’s Community Impact programs is to improve the lives in the communities where our customers and employees live and work.

Learn more about Spectrum Community Center Assist.