Big Brothers Big Sisters, Comcast and McIntyre Elementary School Partner To Help Kids Succeed

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit (BBBSMD) and Comcast announced today the launch of an innovative partnership that promises to improve the odds for participating Southfield third- and fourth-graders in order for them to achieve academically and succeed as adults.

Comcast has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and McIntyre Elementary School in the Southfield Public School District to launch Beyond School Walls(SM), a program where third- and fourth-graders are matched with company employees for one-to-one mentoring.  Comcast employees will serve as "Big Brothers" or "Big Sisters," meeting with their "Littles" at the Comcast facility at least twice a month.  

"We are committed to making a positive impact in the lives of the children we serve and are extremely grateful to Comcast for this powerful partnership," said Dara Munson, BBBSMD President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Partnering with schools with support from public and private partners, as well as individuals is critical to our success with helping children break cycles too often linked to families struggling with issues related to poverty, incarceration and single-parent households."

Beyond School Walls, introduced by Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania, is a unique workplace mentoring program in which companies give back to their communities by hosting children from area schools at their offices.  In 2008, Comcast launched its Beyond School Walls program in Philadelphia as part of a $10 million national commitment to support Big Brothers Big Sisters, which includes airtime for public service announcements, program sponsorships, national and local board member support, and Comcast leadership development and training opportunities for the organization's staff leaders.  It also includes the sponsorship of the Beyond School Walls program in multiple cities. To date, Comcast has launched this program in nine locations, including: Hartford (CT); Houston (TX); Jacksonville (FL); Minneapolis (MN); Philadelphia (PA); Pittsburgh (PA); Portland (OR); Salt Lake City (UT); and Southfield (MI).

"We couldn't be happier about our new partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit and McIntyre Elementary School, which allows us to make a significant, direct impact in the lives of many more children," said Charisse Lillie, Vice President, Community Investment and Executive Vice President, Comcast Foundation. "This effort is consistent with our commitment to developing tomorrow's leaders by promoting community service and working with young people in their pursuit of better lives and opportunities."

"When Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit invited us to be a part of this amazing program, we could not have been more pleased," said Kimberly Beckwith, Principal at McIntyre Elementary School.  "We've seen the reports about how the odds for succeeding in school, staying out of trouble and becoming successful adults are improved for children with Big Brothers Big Sisters' mentors.  We are so delighted that Comcast is making it possible for our students to have this amazing opportunity."

About Big Brothers Big Sisters

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles").

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a system of ongoing evaluation and support that is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that "Littles" will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate, or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 22.9 million video customers, 16.7 million high-speed Internet customers and 8.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net).  Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

Comcast's Michigan Region serves more than one million customers statewide and employs approximately 4,000 people. Comcast has three major call centers located in the state and houses its Michigan Region headquarters in Southfield.

SOURCE Comcast Cable