Spectrum Awards $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi

Spectrum donated $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi through the company’s national community philanthropic program, Spectrum Employee Community Grants. The funds are part of a larger $1 million programming commitment through the end of 2021.

The $2,500 Spectrum Employee Community Grant was presented virtually on June 2 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi. The organization supports children ages six to 16 years old who have faced adversity in their young lives and experienced the loss of a valuable connection.

The funding will help expand the support of low income families by increasing their ability to purchase more prepared meals, groceries and other household necessities. The funding will also augment the cost of transportation to deliver food and household goods around each island served in Kauaʻi, Maui and Oʻahu.

Spectrum employee Akili Jones, Spectrum Reach Local Ad Sales Manager, nominated Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi for the grant. Jones said, “I’m a proud Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi volunteer and enjoy doing my part to help kids reach their full potential by making a positive impact in their lives. The organization’s mission is very important and I’m delighted that Spectrum is supporting such a deserving organization.”

“On behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi, I’d like to express our gratitude for the $2,500 grant from Spectrum,” said Dennis Brown, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi President & CEO. “This will allow us to expand the support for children and their families by continuing to purchase more food and household necessities. Thank you for assisting us in helping our ʻohana thrive.”

“Through Spectrum Employee Community Grants, we’re proud to provide support to community organizations with which our local employees are already volunteering their time and talent,” said Gregg Fujimoto, Spectrum Senior Vice President. “Together, we’re building stronger communities where our customers and employees live and work.”

Spectrum Employee Community Grants has provided funding to more than 250 local nonprofits in 30 states throughout the company’s service area since its inception in July 2019.

Recipients deliver critical social services, helping underserved residents meet basic needs, including food, shelter, clothing, job training and neighborhood safety. Each awardee is nominated by one of the company’s 96,000 US employees who has volunteered with the organization for at least one year.

Spectrum Employee Community Grants are one of several philanthropic programs at Charter Communications, Inc. — which operates the Spectrum brand — developed to support communities where the company provides service and where its employees live and work.

Key Spectrum Community Impact Initiatives

Spectrum surpassed its multiyear commitment to award $6 million in cash and in-kind donations to support broadband education through Spectrum Digital Education, which have benefited more than 56,000 people across 17 states and Washington, D.C., since 2017.

Charter has committed $22 million to assist minority-owned businesses within its footprint. In 2020, Charter launched the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund to invest in community development financial institutions and with national partners like National Action Network and the National Urban League, to provide low-cost loans to diverse-owned small businesses whose goods and services help meet core needs in underserved communities.

In the spring of 2020, Charter introduced Spectrum Scholars, a two-year educational program for eligible rising juniors in financial need, that will award a total of $400,000 in scholarship aid, provide company mentors for students, as well as connect them with potential internship opportunities at Charter.