AT&T opens Connected Learning Center at P.A.R.K. in Little Rock | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

In an effort to enhance access to high-quality technology, AT&T has opened the first Connected Learning Center in Arkansas at P.A.R.K., a faith-based facility in southwest Little Rock that works to educate and mentor underserved children.

Along with a gift of 25 new desktop computers powered by free high-speed fiber internet for three years, AT&T donated $50,000 to P.A.R.K. The company also will provide 120 laptops and 250 backpacks full of school supplies to children in the program.

Keith Jackson, the president of P.A.R.K., said the total amount of the donation was “well over $100,000.”

“AT&T has given us the opportunity to take this to another level, and we’re so excited about it, ” said Jackson, a former NFL tight end who graduated from Little Rock Parkview High School. “Of course, we’ve had computers before, but what they’re giving access to is more than that.”

Jackson said computers are the future, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence. He said he is glad the 217 students he expects in the fall now have access to state-of-the-art technology that will enhance their education and digital literacy.

About 100 individuals were present Thursday at the Connected Learning Center’s opening, including elected officials, P.A.R.K. students and AT&T executives. Representatives for U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Little Rock, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin were present at the event, which included a ribbon-cutting.

According to Lisa Lake, vice president of external affairs at AT&T, this is the 71st Connected Learning Center in the country and the first in Arkansas. AT&T plans to open 25 more centers this year, and by 2027 it plans to have 100 Connected Learning Centers nationwide.

“At AT&T, we believe that every student, every learner, deserves the same shot at success no matter their ZIP code, their income level, their background,” she said. “But the reality is there are millions of students and families across the country who are held back simply because they don’t have access, or they don’t have a device.”

“That’s why we launched AT&T Connective Learning,” Lake continued. “It’s a long-term commitment that’s backed by $5 billion. That investment is what we are putting in through the year 2030, and it’s focused on three things: connectivity, digital literacy and digital learning.”

According to Lake, from 2020 to 2024, AT&T invested more than $1.2 billion in its network infrastructure in Arkansas. That includes expanding fiber internet to more communities, upgrading existing cell sites, building new cell sites, and working to connect more first-responders to high-speed networks.

Students Shanya Lapp, a rising 11th-grader at Mills University Studies High School, and Derrick Withers, a rising ninth-grader at Mills University Studies High School, said they were thankful for AT&T’s gift to P.A.R.K., a 30-year-old organization.

“AT&T has decided to bless me and my fellow brothers and sisters at P.A.R.K. with the first Connected Learning Center in Arkansas. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity because it shows that our growth and education and future truly matter to others beyond our community,” Lapp said.

Withers said the new center will give him and fellow students a new place to learn and do their schoolwork.

“I am proud to be a part of this. I’m excited for everything that’s coming next,” he said. “The future isn’t waiting on us. We’re already doing it right here, right now.”

Jackson also shared some relevant wisdom he learned during his time playing football.

“An old coach told me, he said, ‘It’s either you get better or you get worse, there’s no in-between,’” Jackson said. “Today, P.A.R.K. became better.”