Comcast Awards $62,000 in Scholarships to Virginia High School Seniors

RICHMOND, Va., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives, is awarding 53 Virginia high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program.  The program, one of the Comcast Foundation's signature community investment programs, recognizes students' leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

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Comcast was joined by Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia Kenneth Cuccinelli to recognize the students at a special event held at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond yesterday.  Fifty-two of the Leaders and Achievers recipients received $1,000 scholarships and Theodore Flowers of Potomac Falls High School in Sterling was awarded a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship - instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation - for a total of $62,000 awarded to Virginia students this year.  After a prize drawing, five students were also given an iPad to use at college.

"These students serve as role models for other young people across the state, and we thank them for their hard work and contributions to their communities," said Attorney General Cuccinelli. "I am grateful to Comcast for providing these students, our future leaders, with the help they need and deserve to continue their education and create bright futures for themselves and our state."

"Comcast is focused on giving back to our communities and providing our youth with opportunities for personal growth and professional success," said Tom Coughlin, regional senior vice president.  "We are pleased to recognize these outstanding students for their achievements and wish them the best of luck as they pursue their dreams."

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides one-time $1000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students.  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.

Since the program's inception there have been over 15,000 scholarship winners totaling more than $15.4 million.

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