Comcast & NBCUniveresal ‘Make Change Happen’ in Communities around the World.

More than 70,000 Comcast and NBCUniversal employees, their family and friends, and community partners across the country are expected to spend Saturday, April 27, giving back to their communities as they take part in Comcast Cares Day, the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort. In its 12th year, Comcast Cares Day will also go international for the first time with NBCUniversal managing projects in England, France, Germany and New Zealand. This year will also mark more than 3 million volunteer hours and half a million volunteers since Comcast Cares Day first began in 2001.

“Comcast Cares Day speaks to the heart of our company,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation.  “As we celebrate Comcast’s 50th anniversary, I am extremely honored to participate this year alongside tens of thousands of Comcast and NBCUniversal employees, their family members and friends across the country and around the world to make a meaningful difference that will have a lasting impact on the communities we serve.”
 
During this year’s Comcast Cares Day, more than 700 projects will take place across the country and internationally, including projects in communities where Comcast and NBCUniversal employees work together, including New York City, Los Angeles and Orlando.

“Comcast Cares Day is a great example of Comcast and NBCUniversal’s unwavering dedication to the communities we serve,” said David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation.  “People across the country will experience firsthand Comcast’s commitment to their neighborhoods, which extends beyond this day and throughout the year. Giving back is in our DNA, and we celebrate all of our community partners and employees who continuously strive to improve the lives of others.”

On Saturday, volunteers will contribute their time and energy by providing maintenance, supplies and makeovers to local schools, parks and community centers. Comcast Cares Day is also taking place during Earth Week, which is widely supported by NBCUniversal’s Green is Universal http://www.greenisuniversal.com/>  initiative. Many planet-friendly projects such as building community gardens, cleaning beaches and riverbanks, and planting trees will add to the diverse line-up of projects.
 
Below is a sampling of the multiple projects taking place this week:
 
·        Grand Rapids, MI (Hispanic Center of West Michigan) – Approximately 100 volunteers will be packaging, sorting and distributing food for needy families in Grand Rapids.

·        Highlands, NJ – Highlands is a 1.5 square mile, working-class borough in Monmouth County, NJ. Like many coastal communities in NJ, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the community. Comcast Cares Day projects in Highlands will include 250 volunteers working on a community-wide cleanup, restoration of two community parks, boardwalk repairs, a beach cleanup and helping residents with a variety of projects as they prepare to move back into their homes.

·        London, UK (Thames River Clean Up) – Approximately 100 NBCUniversal volunteers will clear rubbish from the river and riverbank, clear dense area of scrub, plant marginal plants and sow a native seed mix. Volunteers will also help by weeding, clearing trash and providing environmental enhancements.

·        Los Angeles, CA (Barack Obama Preparatory Academy) – Approximately 500 NBCUniversal volunteers will partner with City Year Los Angeles and the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program to help beautify the school. Employees, friends and families will build and plant a real-life learning laboratory for students to learn what it means to be healthy. Volunteers will also paint educational and college-themed murals to transform the school into an exciting place for students to learn and encourage them to think about the possibilities for their future.

·        New York, NY (Revitalize Riverside Park) – Approximately 150 NBCUniversal volunteers will help beautify sections of Riverside Park by completing a hillside erosion control project, removing invasive species, planting native ground cover and flowers, and performing a variety of much-needed tasks to prepare Riverside Park for the busy spring and summer seasons.

·        Philadelphia, PA (Furness High School) – More than 250 volunteers will beautify the school by making minor repairs, painting, removing litter and doing general clean-up activities to the building and property.  

·        Seattle, WA (Labateyah Youth Home) – Approximately 250 volunteers will build-out an existing computer room to become the “Comcast Tech Lounge at Labateyah.”  The Tech Lounge will include new monitors, keyboards, desks, chairs and fresh paint. In addition to this signature project, other volunteers will work to paint, clean-up trash, install new flooring and shelving, spread bark, plant gardens and help with art projects to properly tell the story of the building and the heritage of its residents.

·        Hamburg, Germany (Children´s Hospice Sternenbrücke) – Approximately 20 NBCUniversal volunteers will be beautifying the grounds by cleaning garden furniture, planting flowers, raking and digging.