More than 62,000 Comcast employees, their families and friends will spend today (Saturday, April 30) participating in what is believed to be one of the country's largest corporate days of community service, the 10th Comcast Cares Day.
Tme company calculates more than 2 million hours were volunteered and a total of $10 million contributed to organizations on this day since it first began in 2001.
"Today, we celebrate our 10th Comcast Cares Day which is an incredible milestone," Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, of Comcast said in a release. "Since its inception in 2001, nearly 300,000 Comcast employees, their families and friends have contributed their time to their communities. Comcast Cares Day is about coming together to make a positive difference in our communities, and I couldn't be more proud to serve alongside my fellow employees as we continue in that mission."
At 600 project sites across the country, Comcast volunteers will contribute their time and energy by building community gardens, planting trees at parks and refurbishing local schools and community facilities.
Among the many projects planned are:
Philadelphia (Fairhill Elementary School): More than 400 volunteers will work side-by-side cleaning the school's grounds, organizing the library, building an outdoor classroom garden, painting murals and delivering new gym equipment.
Boston (Cradles to Crayons): Nearly 200 volunteers will be at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory in Brighton. Cradles to Crayons is a non-profit that provides children living in homeless and low income situations with the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, valued and ready to learn. Comcast volunteers will be joined by 50 area Girl Scouts to sort donations, fill individual child packs and stock and organize shelves.
Houston (BARC Animal Shelter): Approximately 150 volunteers will be at the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC), which is the only city shelter in Houston required by law to accept every animal that comes through its doors regardless of breed, temperament, health conditions and circumstance. Volunteers will spend the day cleaning kennels, making ID tags for animals, walking dogs, caring for cats, as well as landscaping, mulching and planting new trees at the site.
Washington, D.C. (Spingarn Senior High School): More than 100 volunteers will be at Spingarn Senior High School in Washington, D.C., beautifying the school. Volunteers will do indoor and outdoor cleaning, mulching and planting on the school grounds.
Denver (Denver Children's Advocacy Center; DCAC): More than 50 volunteers will be at the DCAC, an organization that serves children who have been sexually abused, neglected, or traumatized by witnessing violence. Comcast Cares Day volunteers will build a fence, replace the stairs to one house, re-finish the children's coloring table, and create a walking path where their emergency exit is located.
Seattle (El Centro de la Raza): More than 50 volunteers will assist El Centro with updating their Community Center projects, including hallway painting, landscaping, tree removal, wiring and much more. El Centro de la Raza provides a unique blend of multicultural services and advocacy, including child and youth programs, bilingual childcare, afterschool mentoring and tutoring, and weekly Latino community workshops.
Atlanta (Center for Pan Asian Community Services): Comcast volunteers and friends will assist the CPACS staff in updating their service center, landscaping around the building and cleaning and decorating the space for its on-site curriculum, which includes ESL instruction, citizenship classes, and multiple after-school programs.
"Comcast Cares Day celebrates our sustained commitment to the communities we serve," Comcast EVP David L. Cohen said in the release. "Comcast has a year-round spirit of giving back and Cares Day is our most inspiring and exciting opportunity to demonstrate the passion that our company has for helping others. It's a proud moment for us to mark 10 years of this initiative."
Many non-profit community organizations and local chapters of the National Urban League and the National Council of La Raza will also join Comcast volunteers and work together during Comcast Cares Day. Additionally, Comcast will be partnering with City Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, among others.
For more information on Comcast's community investment initiatives, visit http://www.comcast.com/inthecommunity.
