BERLIN, Conn., April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,000 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners will "make change happen" today, April 30^th, as they volunteer to improve eight sites across Connecticut as part of the 15^th annual Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast Cares Day, which takes place each April during National Volunteer Month, is Comcast NBCUniversal's companywide celebration of their year-round commitment to service and the nation's largest single-day corporate volunteer effort in the country.  Today, Connecticut volunteers will roll their sleeves up at sites in Danbury, Hartford, Middletown, Naugatuck, New Haven, Norwich, Stamford and West Hartford.

For example, at Lincoln-Bassett Community School in New Haven, a record 400 volunteers will contribute to various projects of all shapes and sizes for all ages and abilities to spruce up the school. 

"Our communities would not be the same without the efforts of volunteers who spend their time and energy making them better places to live, learn, and grow," said Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, CT-3, who made a special visit to help kick-off the event in New Haven.  "To the hundreds of volunteers at Lincoln-Bassett, and the thousands who are gathering in towns and cities across the country, thank you for taking the time to make a difference."

At The Arc New London County in Norwich, over 150 volunteers comprised of participants from the organization and Easter Seals Capital Region will join Comcast employees and their family and friends to paint, clean, and landscape their client facility.

"We can't thank Comcast enough for choosing our Norwich site for this incredible program," said Kathleen Stauffer, CEO of The Arc New London.  "With budget constraints being what they are, a lot of the projects on tap for the day have been overlooked in recent months.  The team assembling today will be breathing new life into the building, making it better and brighter for those we serve. Comcast's partnership is invaluable."

This year, the Company expects more than 100,000 Comcast and NBCUniversal volunteers to participate in more than 800 projects across the country and around the globe.  To date, volunteers have contributed more than 4 million service hours to improve nearly 7,000 projects in the U.S. and around the world since Comcast Cares Day started in 2001. 

"The Naugatuck YMCA is honored to host Comcast Cares Day in our community," said Sherri Beck from the Naugatuck YMCA, another 2016 Comcast Cares Day site where volunteers will be doing spring cleaning, landscaping and painting. "We know that lasting personal and social change comes about when we all work together. That's why at the Y, strengthening community is our cause.  Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. We are happy to have Comcast share in our daily work we provide to our community."

"As we celebrate our 15^th annual Comcast Cares Day, we are so proud to beautify some deserving partner locations and to make a difference in our community," added Michael Parker, Comcast Senior Vice President of the Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut. "It's truly amazing what's possible in a day, when 650 volunteers donate their time to make a difference in the lives of others.  I'm inspired by the community's response to Comcast Cares Day 2016 and I thank the participants who help to make this effort a success."

Or as Peter Schaller, Communications Manager for the United Way of Greater New Haven put it, "Comcast Cares Day is the epitome of what it means to Live United."

The eight 2016 Comcast Cares Day sites in Connecticut include:

• Danbury - Mill Ridge Primary School – volunteers will spring clean, landscape and paint
• Hartford - Thirman Milner Community School – volunteers will landscape, paint murals, clean and organize
• Middletown – Woodrow Wilson Middle School – volunteers will spring clean, landscape and paint
• Naugatuck - YMCA of Naugatuck – volunteers will spring clean, landscape and paint
• New Haven - Lincoln-Bassett Community School – volunteers will spring clean, landscape and paint
• Norwich – The ARC New London County - volunteers will spring clean, landscape and paint
• Stamford - Mill River Park – volunteers will landscape and clean up the park, playground, and walkways
• West Hartford - Hartford Boys and Girls Club – volunteers will conduct an electronics recycling drive

The Comcast Foundation will also provide grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of everyone who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants will help Comcast's community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year.  To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $18 million in grants to local non-profit organizations who have partnered with us on Comcast Cares Day. 

Additionally, this Comcast Cares Day the Company is folding in the broad support and amplification of two other Company partnerships: Global Citizen, who organize the annual music and advocacy-focused Global Citizen Festival curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin that has aired on MSNBC for the past few years, and Red Nose Day, a special television event with top musical and comedy performances that debuted on NBC last year. These initiatives aim to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change globally and in the United States. By amplifying our support of these initiatives on Comcast Cares Day, Comcast NBCUniversal is providing additional ways to help drive positive change in our communities.

Comcast has been committed to serving local communities since our founding more than 50 years ago. For more information on Comcast NBCUniversal volunteer and community investment initiatives, visit www.comcast.com/community. 

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified nonprofit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—expanding digital literacy, promoting community service, and building tomorrow's leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated $176 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.

About Comcast in Connecticut:
Comcast is committed to providing an unparalleled entertainment experience to residents and businesses in the 83 communities the company serves in Connecticut.  Comcast's Western New England Region, which includes five states, is headquartered in Berlin, Connecticut, and customers are served by a team of more than 1,300 Connecticut employees.  Comcast also boasts a call center in Enfield, Connecticut, service centers throughout the state, and seven state-of-the-art Xfinity Service Centers where customers can experience Comcast's Xfinity products and services firsthand. Comcast's popular Xfinity brand is also featured on the Xfinity Theatre, one of Hartford's premier music venues.  The company helps to strengthen the communities where its customers and employees live and work by supporting local nonprofit organizations.  In 2015, Comcast provided more than $2 million to community partners in the state, in the form of Comcast Foundation grants, sponsorships, volunteer hours, courtesy services and in-kind donations.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361215 

SOURCE Comcast Corporation

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