An updated computer lab at the Mattie Rhodes Center in the Historic Northeast will help Kansas City's Latino community access the technology they need for work and school.
The League of United Latin America Citizens, or LULAC, runs the Empower Hispanic America technology center housed at Mattie Rhodes, 148 N. Topping Ave, Kansas City, Missouri. AT&T donated $200,000 to LULAC to update seven of its community technology centers.
"People can come here, they can use the technology and the equipment to update their resumes or complete resumes. They can apply for jobs, prepare for college and careers," says John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri.
The gift includes new computers as well as office software and technical support. Mattie Rhodes CEO John Fierro says having LULAC in the building has helped enrich its arts programming with technology the center wouldn't have been able to buy on its own.
"This place is the perfect place for this technology," says Missouri Sen. Paul LeVota, whose Jackson County district includes parts of northeastern Kansas City. "This is a community that has struggled but is now coming together."
LeVota says Mattie Rhodes is the perfect place for the computer lab because the center already helps the community connect with art and health initiatives.
