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NEW Verizon Community Forward Homewood-Brushton Adult Learning Center Supports Digital Skills Training and Workforce Development in the Homewood-Brushton Neighborhood

Aug 24, 2023

On Tuesday, August 22nd, Verizon and Neighborhood Allies held the grand opening of the Verizon Community Forward Homewood-Brushton Adult Learning Center, located in the Community College of Allegheny County – Homewood-Brushton Center.

Partners at the Ribbon Cutting | Photo Credit: Community College of Allegheny County

This is the second of two centers to open as part of the Verizon Community Forward Initiative, in partnership with Neighborhood Allies. Pittsburgh is one of four cities across the country selected for this pilot program, which aims to reinvigorate community spaces through providing access to free resources and hands-on learning with cutting-edge technology. The first center, which serves primarily youth, opened in May 2023 at the YMCA Homewood-Brushton branch.

The grand opening event included remarks from County Executive Rich Fitzgerald; Dr. Quintin Bullock, CCAC President; CCAC Northwest Regional President, Dr. Evon Walters, CCAC Northwest Regional President; Presley Gillespie, President & CEO of Neighborhood Allies; Brittany Chambers, Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Verizon; and Mario Acosta-Velez, Director of Local Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility at Verizon.

Attendees were able to see demonstrations of the state-of-the-art technology included in the center such as Virtual and Augmented Reality headsets, a Glowforge laser cutter, Alienware gaming computers, and an Ultimaker3D printer.

Virtual reality demo in new space | Photo Credit: Community College of Allegheny County

Neighborhood Allies is excited to continue to partner with community anchors such as the Community College of Allegheny County to provide vital resources to Pittsburgh residents in an increasingly digital world, and further support the incredible work that they do within the Homewood-Brushton neighborhood.

Presley Gillespie, President & CEO of Neighborhood Allies (Left) and Dr. Quintin Bullock, President of CCAC (Right) | Photo Credit: Community College of Allegheny County

To learn more about the Adult Learning Center, check out this news segment from Channel 11!

Top Header Image Photo Credit: Prototyping Larimer Stories by artist John Peña, photo by OPA