Comcast Volunteers Work To "Make Change Happen," Beautifying Eleven Sites Across Connecticut Today On 13th Comcast Cares Day

BERLIN, Conn., April 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today more than 650 local Comcast employees and their families, friends and community partners will work to "make change happen" as they volunteer to improve eleven sites across the Nutmeg State as part of Comcast's 13^th Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast Cares Day, which takes place each April during National Volunteer Month, is Comcast and NBCUniversal's signature day of service and the nation's largest single-day corporate volunteer effort.  Today Connecticut volunteers will roll their sleeves up at sites in East Hartford, Ellington, Groton, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Portland, Seymour, Stamford, West Hartford and Westbook.

For example, at Lincoln Elementary School in New Britain, over 100 volunteers comprised of participants from the school, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Easter Seals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters will join Comcast employees and their family and friends to landscape, spring clean and spruce up the school grounds. Volunteers will also be donating books to the school that were collected through a Comcast employee book drive, and planting shrubs and plants and utilizing topsoil that was generously donated from Millane Nurseries in Cromwell, Connecticut. 

25 "Littles" hail from the Lincoln Elementary School for the "Beyond School Walls" program, a site-based mentoring program with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. Now in its fifth year, the program matches Comcast employee "Bigs" with the "Littles" from Lincoln for mentoring throughout the school year. Comcast employees will also be planting flowers in pots that were painted and decorated by the "Bigs" and "Littles" in a recent mentoring session.

"Lincoln Elementary School is truly grateful for its partnership with Comcast," said Elaine Cabrale, Lincoln Elementary School Principal. "Our relationship benefits Lincoln's students throughout the school year as well as during Comcast Cares Day. The activities Comcast completes today will increase students' pride in their school and increase their understanding of giving back to your community."

This year the Company expects more than 80,000 Comcast and NBCUniversal volunteers to participate in over 800 projects across the country and around the globe. To date, more than half a million volunteers have contributed over 3 million volunteer hours since Comcast Cares Day started in 2001. 

"We're proud once again to partner with local Connecticut schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs and other nonprofit organizations to improve our community during our 13^th Comcast Cares Day," said Mary McLaughlin, Comcast Senior Vice President of the Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut. "The hard work of the 650 Connecticut volunteers who will be donating their time to help make such a big difference in the lives of others is inspiring, and I am thankful to all of our participants who are helping to make today a success."

The Comcast Cares Day 2014 Connecticut community partners and projects include the following:

• East Hartford – East Hartford YMCA/Larson Community Center (81 Woodlawn Circle)
  • Site activities: Landscaping, spring clean-up and painting
• Ellington - Shred Event with Comcast Spotlight at United Bank – 287 Somers Rd
  • Site activities: Public can stop by with up to five boxes of old documents, which volunteers will shred for free and make sure they are securely destroyed and recycled
• Groton – Fairview Odd Fellows Home – 235 Lestertown Road
  • Site activities: Landscaping and spring clean-up
• Hartford – Shred Event with Comcast Spotlight at Bertera Subaru – 111 Weston St.
  • Site activities: Public can stop by with up to five boxes of old documents, which volunteers will shred for free and make sure they are securely destroyed and recycled
• New Britain – Lincoln Elementary School – 145 Steele St
  • Site activities: Volunteers and "Bigs" and "Littles" from Comcast's "Beyond School Walls" mentoring program with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters will spruce up and landscape the Littles' school
• New Haven – Quinnipiac Elementary School – 460 Lexington Avenue
  • Site activities: Landscaping, spring clean-up, painting and building an indoor garden box for farm to table healthy eating that students will utilize in their cafeteria
• Portland – Middlesex YMCA/Camp Ingersoll – 94 Camp Ingersoll Rd
  • Site activities: Landscaping and spring clean-up
• Seymour – Seymour Boys & Girls Club – 20 Pine Street
  • Site activities: Landscaping and spring cleaning at the after school program site
• Stamford – New Covenant House of Hospitality –  90 Fairfield Avenue
  • Site activities: Helping to spruce up the soup kitchen
• West Hartford – Shred Event with NBC CT at Westfarms Mall - 1500 New Britain Ave
  • Site activities: Public can stop by with up to five boxes of old documents, which volunteers will shred for free and make sure they are securely destroyed and recycled
• Westbrook – Valley Shore YMCA -  201 Spencer Plains Rd
  • Site activities: Landscaping & spring clean-up in preparation for their 2014 Healthy Family Day.

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 $14 million in grants to partner organizations to match the efforts of our volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. 

Comcast has been committed to serving local communities since our founding more than 50 years ago. For more information on Comcast's volunteer and community investment initiatives, visit 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 over 1,200 Connecticut employees. Comcast also boasts a call center in Enfield, Connecticut, service centers throughout the state, and three 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 2013, Comcast provided over $1.8 million to community partners in the state, in the form of Comcast Foundation grants, sponsorships, volunteer hours, courtesy services and in-kind donations.

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates 30 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 non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—promoting service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow's leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated nearly $140 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 Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School is 1 of 10 elementary schools in the Consolidated School District of New Britain. Its population averages 700 students. Our mission is to engage students and families in the learning process by providing multiple opportunities to master grade level expectations. Lincoln is a strong cohesive school where teachers, administrators, parents and the community nurture guide and challenge students to become the best that they can be now and in their futures.

SOURCE Comcast Cable