SCRANTON — When the internet went down at Outreach – Center for Community Resources on North Seventh Avenue last week, Lori Chaffers immediately recognized the severity of the situation.
“We were dead in the water,” said Chaffers, president and CEO of the nonprofit. “We couldn’t do anything because so much of our lives depended on the connectivity to the internet.”
On Wednesday morning, while surrounded by Comcast officials, local elected officials, and Outreach employees and participants, Chaffers’ mind shifted to those served by Outreach who don’t have a home computer and internet access to perform essential tasks on a daily basis.
“We were out on our boat doing what we needed to do that day because we had everything we needed to do our jobs,” she said. “When you don’t have that kind of access and technology, you can’t even get in the water.”
As part of Comcast’s “Digital Opportunity Day” Wednesday, the company awarded Outreach a $35,000 grant and 35 new laptops equipped with three months of complimentary Internet Essentials — a fast, affordable Internet service for low-income households. The technology is intended to help the nonprofit — which offers resources for life skills, literacy, employment training, parenting, early childhood education, youth mentoring, behavioral health and wrap-around case management — empower participants with the expertise and supplies to move their lives forward. The grant also funds advanced digital skills training for 30 staff members.
Specifically, the grant supports Outreach’s Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Center and will connect individuals with jobs by partnering with more than 190 “second-chance” employers across the region, Comcast officials said. Additionally, Outreach will provide at least 150 people with digital literacy support throughout the next year by equipping them with essential skills like setting up an email account, applying for jobs online and accessing telehealth appointments, said Broderick Johnson, executive vice president, public policy and executive vice president, digital equity for the Comcast Corp.
“Everybody deserves a second chance in life, but you need to have the job training to be successful to reenter the job market after you’ve been incarnated,” Johnson said. “It’s critically important.”
Jenn Shoemaker, LEAD Center program manager and Re-Entry and Criminal Justice Program manager, believes the laptops and training will give Outreach participants more flexibility in their job search.
“One of the biggest barriers to employment is not having the equipment or the internet service,” Shoemaker said. “Now, they can control when they look for work and how they look for work. Some people like to look for work at 9 p.m., and we’re not here then. It really makes individuals more independent and in control of their job search and success.”
Schrece Graff, 39, of Old Forge, and Maury Brown, 34, of Scranton, represent two of Outreach’s success stories.
Graff — who found employment with Galaxy Brushes in Moosic — recalled a frantic situation when an Outreach employee, Lori Ryan, offered off-hours assistance to ease her mind and solve a problem with a school assignment, noting the staff go above and beyond during their free time simply to help someone.
“When I needed to hand in an essay for a scholarship last month, I was close to the deadline and had everything done, I just couldn’t figure out how to send it,” Graff said. “Lori came to my rescue during her free time after work and helped me figure out we needed to make the file a pdf to be able to send it. I would have never figured that out on my own.”
Graff shared another example of how Shoemaker’s assistance provided a jump-start for her career, allowing her to support her 9-year-old daughter, Aleya, and 5-year-old son, Lorenz.
“I was really having a hard time finding a job because I was lacking experience, and Jenn came to my rescue by helping me find a job where I take those pdf files and turn them into gxf files to run on the CAD system at work,” she said. “The LEAD Center really helps you develop skills you will use every day. I’m no longer afraid of computer literacy, I embrace it. Digital literacy has been the missing piece — the golden key — in my journey to self-sufficiency. It’s going to set me apart to change my life and my children’s lives.”
Peer Specialist at Peerstar and worker in Outreach’s L.E.A.D. program Maury Brown recieves a free laptop computer from Comcast’s Director of Community Investments Anjelica Williams and Manager of Government Affairs Justin Edwards during a ceremony outside of the Outreach-Center for Community Resources in Scranton Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
President and CEO of Outreach – Center for Community Resources Lori Chaffers speaks outside of the Outreach-Center for Community Resources in Scranton Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Outreach-Center for Community Resources participant Jenene Walter, left, receives a free laptop computer from Comcast’s Director of Community Investments Anjelica Williams and Manager of Government Affairs Justin Edwards during a ceremony outside of the Outreach-Center for Community Resources in Scranton Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Brown started receiving support from Outreach around 2020 after being released from prison, he said. He now works as a certified peer specialist with Peerstar.
“Before, I didn’t know which way to look,” Brown said. “When I first got here, they helped me build my resume and helped me get my first job, but it wasn’t the right position for me. (After) explaining more about being disabled, they helped me find a career where being disabled isn’t a problem. I’m actually doing something that I love — helping the community and helping other people who may be suffering with either physical disabilities or mental health disabilities like I’ve struggled through in the past.”
As a 20-year-old, Brown would street-race cars and was involved in an accident in 2011 that left him with a prosthetic leg and a DUI charge.
“I went to jail for a few years, but that wasn’t the end of my story,” he said. “I rehabilitated myself and Outreach helped me get my life back on track.”