Comcast Volunteers Lend a Hand to Connecticut Communities on 11th Comcast Cares Day

BERLIN, Conn., April 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 650 Comcast Connecticut employees, their families and friends will join more than 67,000 volunteers nationwide as they spend today, Saturday, April 21, 2012, participating in one of the country's largest corporate days of community service – the 11th Comcast Cares Day.  Comcast's Connecticut volunteers will roll up their sleeves at nine sites across the state, which are among approximately 650 project sites across the country, to lend a hand to the communities the company serves.

Over the previous 10 "Comcast Cares Days" Comcast volunteers have dedicated more than 2.1 million hours of service. The Company has also contributed more than $10.5 million in grants to organizations nationwide. Comcast Cares Day is one way that Comcast helps to power dreams and demonstrate a year-round commitment to making a difference in the communities it serves.

"Today, for the 11th time since 2001, we once again celebrate Comcast Cares Day. Since the program's inception, more than 360,000 Comcast employees, their families and friends have contributed their time to their communities," said Mary McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Comcast's Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut. "Today, we will surpass 2.5 million total hours of service.  Comcast Cares Day is about coming together to have a positive impact on our communities, and I am truly proud to join my fellow employees as we continue in that mission."

Comcast volunteers will spend the day doing community clean-up, landscaping, and painting, and will install two "Born Learning Trails" – one in Branford and one in Waterbury -- in partnership with the United Way of Greater New Haven and the United Way of Greater Waterbury, respectively.  A Born Learning Trail is a set of fun, physical learning activities that parents or caregivers can play with young children in an outdoor setting, arranged on a walking trail.  Comcast volunteers installed New Haven's first Born Learning Trail at the Conte West Hills School during the 2008 Comcast Cares Day, Hartford's first trail at Burns Elementary School the following year and Middletown's first trail at Snow Elementary School in 2010.

The Comcast Cares Day 2012 Connecticut community partners and projects include the following:

• Foote Memorial Park in Branford–general park clean up and installation of a Born Learning Trail in partnership with the United Way of Greater New Haven
• Big Green Clean-Up Day in Hartford–community clean-up in Hartford's north end;  landscaping, mulching, tree planting, cleaning empty lots & refurbishing a community garden
• North End Action Team in Middletown–installing a community garden and neighborhood clean-up
• Immanuel Baptist Shelter & Columbus House in New Haven–painting, general clean up and landscaping
• Martin House, Inc. in Norwich–painting, landscaping, general clean-up & work on the "Martin Cafe" coffee bar
• Urban League of Southern CT in Stamford–painting, landscaping and general clean up
• Fulton Park in Waterbury-general park clean up and installation of a Born Learning Trail in partnership with the United Way of Greater Waterbury
• Recycling Event with NBC Connecticut in West Hartford-paper recycling drive

Charisse Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment for Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast Foundation, who is also a graduate of Wesleyan University and Yale Law School, will join Comcast volunteers at the Middletown Comcast Cares Day project. While on site, Lillie will present the North End Action Team and the Macdonough School each with a $12,500 grant from the Comcast Foundation.

Some of Comcast's community partners will also join the cause. For example, FIRST Connecticut, a non-profit organization that provides science and technology programs for young people, will be providing 130 volunteers from their FIRST Robotics teams at the Stamford, New Haven, West Hartford and Waterbury sites. "I am thrilled, but not surprised by the tremendous response from our teams," said Sue Glasspiegel, Regional Director of FIRST Connecticut.  "Community service is ingrained in the FIRST culture and we welcome the opportunity to participate in this great day of community outreach."

The Comcast Foundation will also provide 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 will help Comcast's community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year. 

For more information on Comcast's volunteer and community investment initiatives, visit http://www.comcast.com/inthecommunity.  

About Comcast Corporation
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

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 more than $108 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/neighborhood. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.

SOURCE Comcast Cable