Hundreds of Volunteers Turn Out to Help Revitalize Spingarn Senior High School as Part of 10th Comcast Cares Day

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 500 Comcast employees and their families and friends joined members of local community and non-profit groups on Saturday to help refurbish the grounds of Spingarn Senior High School as part of Comcast's 10th "Comcast Cares Day."  Volunteer projects, led by City Year Washington, D.C. corps members, included landscaping, painting murals, building picnic tables, maintenance projects and general clean-up.

"Today, Comcast has once again demonstrated its civic leadership and commitment to building strong, healthy communities, schools and youth in the District of Columbia," said D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray.  "It is inspiring to see hundreds of volunteers banding together this year at Spingarn Senior High School to make a difference. I am most grateful to the Comcast family for the volunteer work they perform each year in our neighborhoods on Comcast Cares Day."

Mayor Gray, District Council Chairman Kwame Brown and Councilmember Harry Thomas joined Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, in welcoming the volunteers and thanking them for their efforts.  Roberts also announced that on Saturday, Comcast Cares Day logged its 2 millionth hour of service since it began in 2001. The milestone was reached at the Spingarn Senior High School site by Comcast employee Mikal Abdussalaam. He was recognized for donating the 2 millionth volunteer hour and for exemplifying the dedication of Comcast employees across the country every year on Comcast Cares Day.  The Comcast Foundation will make a $10,000 donation to Mikal Abdussalaam's charity of choice.  

"Surpassing 2 million hours of service on Comcast Cares Day says so much about what our employees are willing to do to help their communities," Roberts said. "Comcast is committed to playing an active role in our communities, and we recognize and encourage this spirit of giving among our employees. Every year, I'm astounded by the level of involvement on this day and by the contributions we are able to make together in the neighborhoods where we work and live."  

In addition to the Spingarn makeover, the Comcast Foundation presented the school with a $25,000 grant. The Comcast Foundation provides grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of each employee and family member who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants help Comcast's community partners extend the company's mission of serving communities throughout the year. The Comcast Foundation has awarded a total of $10 million in grants to its Comcast Cares Day partner organizations since 2001.

As part of Comcast Cares Day at Spingarn Senior High School, Comcast also partnered with the Disney Channel and Disney's Friends for Change, which celebrates kids and families coming together to make a difference in their community. Through this partnership, volunteers planted sapling trees and herb and flower seedlings with the help a local arborist. The seedlings, provided by Disney through the Arbor Day Foundation, will be planted by participants in their neighborhoods in an effort to promote a greener community.

Comcast Cares Day volunteers at Spingarn Senior High School also included representatives from the Latin American Youth Center, the Greater Washington Urban League, One-Economy, the T-Howard Foundation and Year-Up.

"We are pleased to be involved in such an incredible day of service, and are grateful to Comcast for all they do in our community," said Jeff Franco, executive director of City Year Washington, DC.  "We have a team of corps members serving full-time as tutors, mentors and role models to the students at Spingarn Senior High School in the Diplomas Now Program.  We're excited to help foster a more positive school climate at Spingarn through Comcast Cares Day."

Comcast has a longstanding local and national partnership with City Year, which unites young people, ages 17 to 24, of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service. As tutors, mentors and role models, these diverse young leaders help children stay in school and on track as they work to transform schools and communities across the United States, as well as through international affiliates in Johannesburg, South Africa, and London, England.

Started in 2001, Comcast Cares Day is believed to be one of the single largest days of corporate community service in America. Since then nearly 300,000 Comcast employees, their families and friend have demonstrated their commitment to their communities by contributing what is now more than 2 million hours of service on Comcast Cares Day. As the effort celebrated its tenth event on Saturday, an estimated 62,000 people took part in more than 550 projects, including building community gardens, planting trees at parks and refurbishing local schools and community facilities.  

For more information on Comcast's volunteer and community investment initiatives, visit http://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 has three community investment priorities – promoting community service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow's leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated over $90 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

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:  CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the world's leading media, entertainment and communications companies.  Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal.  Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers.  Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.

SOURCE Comcast Cable