Sparklight gives $5,000 to SABE

RIO RANCHO — The Sandoval Academy of Bilingual Education (SABE) was awarded $5,000 at its school grounds by Sparklight to support its afterschool program Dec. 20.

“We are going to be able to buy some computers and other digital stuff for our mostly afterschool programs, but a lot of our other school programs would be able to tap into that,” SABE Community Schools Coordinator Tamara Wilburn said.

SABE is the only dual-language Spanish-English charter school in Rio Rancho that teaches kindergarten through eighth grade. Sparklight is an internet service provider that serves 24 states throughout the country.

In attendance for the big check was Wilburn, SABE Executive Director Jackie Rodriguez, Sparklight Regional Customer Service Manager Celestine Salazar, Sparklight Regional Customer Service Supervisor Shelanie Ethredge, Sparklight Field Operations Manager Joshua Hester and Sparklight Regional Director of Operations Richard Estrada.

“We do have a charitable giving fund that we give twice a year to. One of the things Sparklight likes to do is we partner with nonprofits, schools, educational facilities within the communities, and we try to foster a relationship of collaboration and cohesion and work in the community in such a way [it] spurs technology in the future,” said Estrada, who presented the check.

Launched in fall 2020, Sparklight’s Charitable Giving Fund awards $250,000 annually to nonprofits addressing food insecurity, digital literacy, child advocacy and other philanthropic efforts.

“We are looking for some funding for some technology purposes, and Sparklight has a charitable giving fund, and we were able to tap into some of those funds through grant writing. Then, surprise! We had found out that we had been awarded a grant for some of that technology to use at our school,” Wilburn said.