Comcast Awards $196,000 in College Scholarships to California High School Seniors as Education Celebrated at State Capitol

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Discussions of California's educational cuts and budget problems were put on hold today in Sacramento, as Comcast and elected officials joined with students and their families in a celebration of education on the steps of the California State Capitol.  Comcast announced the 176 California high school seniors who have won a 2010 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship, and then partnered with state legislators to present each student attendee with their individual $1,000 grant.  Twenty of the winning students were also given a laptop computer to use at college, and Comcast distributed two additional $10,000 scholarships for a total of $196,000 in grants awarded at the special recognition ceremony.

In addition to their $1,000 scholarships, Daniel Davis of Hayward High School and Minbo Bai of Salinas High School each won Comcast Founders Scholarships of $10,000 -- instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation.  Daniel Davis will be attending UC Davis and Minbo Bai will study at UC Berkeley.

Speakers at the event included California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Curt Henninger, Regional Senior Vice President of Comcast California.  In addition, the students and their families also received a tour of the State Capitol, and complimentary admission to the California Museum and a Sacramento River Cats baseball game.  For a complete list of California's 2010 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship recipients, visit: http://comcastcalifornia.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=367.

"I am excited to join Comcast in recognizing California's outstanding high school seniors," said Superintendent Jack O'Connell.  "Businesses can assist our schools by recognizing and encouraging the many programs that are improving student achievement.  With Comcast's support, we are celebrating education in our community -- not just at this very special event, but throughout the year."

"Education is key to the future of our state, our children and our workforce," stated Curt Henninger, Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast - California. "Comcast is committed to doing our part to ensure we invest in our children through scholarships, educational tools, and by honoring these talented students who make a difference."

Each student who attended the celebration of education at the capitol received their $1,000 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship from their local legislators or Comcast executives, and then had a group photo taken with the legislators from the districts where scholarship winners live.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, the 20 winners of the laptop computers and the two winners of the $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarships were announced.

About the Comcast "Leaders And Achiever's® Scholarship Program"

This year in California, Comcast is recognizing 176 young people with scholarships -- for a total of $176,000 in grants -- as part of Comcast's 2010 national Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program.  Each student receives a one-time $1,000 grant.

The Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program, one of the Comcast Foundation's signature community investment programs, recognizes high school seniors for their leadership skills, positive attitude, academic achievement and various community service activities including mentoring and tutoring younger students, volunteering at hospitals and participating in relief efforts.  The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to be prepared for the future, to engage youth in their communities, and to demonstrate the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

In 2010, the program will grant more than $1.8 million, recognizing 1,800 students attending high schools in Comcast communities across the country.  Since its inception in 2001, the program has awarded more than $13.4 million in college aid to more than 13,300 high school seniors.

Each year, Comcast works with high school principals, guidance counselors and school administrators to select the scholarship recipients.  The Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program is managed by Scholarship Program Administrators -- an independent, not-for-profit organization that manages corporate and corporate foundation scholarship programs. For more information on the Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, visit www.comcast.com/inthecommunity.

About the Comcast Foundation

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities.  The Foundation's focus areas are volunteerism, literacy, and youth leadership development.  Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $66 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/inthecommunity.

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 23.5 million cable customers, 16.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.9 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 Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

SOURCE Comcast