Comcast Cares Day 2012 — We Volunteer Because...

Posted by Marcia Gelbart, Director of Communications, Community Investment, in Community Investment

Comcast is once again preparing for one of our most exciting days of the year — Comcast Cares Day. This weekend, thousands of Comcast employees will spend Saturday, April 21st, working side-by-side with family, friends and community partners for our annual companywide day of service.

We could use this space to talk about how Comcast Cares Day is one of the largest single-day corporate volunteer efforts in the country. We could use this space to note that since the event began in 2001, we've had more than 360,000 volunteers give back more than 2.1 million hours of service at nearly 3,500 project sites in local communities across the country.

But instead, we thought we'd use this space to share a few personal stories as told by the people who make Comcast Cares Day a success each year.

• Pamela Heffernan Fowler, an administrative assistant in Colorado Springs and a Comcast employee for more than two decades, was personally touched when she and her family volunteered at LifeQuest Transitions (LQT), a nonprofit organization helping soldiers transition from military life to civilian life. Fowler, whose own father and husband each served in the U.S. Armed Services, felt extremely privileged to meet the men and women that LQT helps on a daily basis. By the end of the day, after all the painting and cleaning was done,the thought of the soldiers making use of the updated facility made her feel great. "We are very fortunate," Fowler said. "And that's why we choose to give back."
• Brian G. Ray, a CommTech supervisor in Houston, recalls volunteering at BARC, a local animal shelter. "BARC was my most memorable experience because it was a family event. My wife and daughter both volunteered and had a great time. We cleaned the dog runs, washed and walked the dogs and planted trees." Volunteering at BARC made such an impact on his family that at the end of the day they brought home a new and unexpected family member. "We adopted a dog from the shelter. Although it was not in the original plans for the day, the spirit of the day and seeing what the people of BARC do for the community prompted us to adopt and add another dog to our family, a beagle-dachshund mix named Shooter. Without the experience of volunteering for Comcast Cares Day last year at the BARC shelter we would never have met Shooter and had the opportunity to provide him a home."
• Betsy Wilkinson, an executive assistant in Philadelphia, recalls her favorite Comcast Cares Day in 2010 when she volunteered at a local park. "The weather was just perfect and I spent the day outdoors working with children. Together, we planted flowers in flowerpots we had decorated and delivered them to senior citizens at a nearby residence. Over the years, in addition to helping the community, I have had an opportunity to meet fellow Comcasters that I would never have known personally if we hadn't worked together on Comcast Cares Day."
• Russ Schoengarth, a technical operations supervisor in Rutland, Vt., remembers volunteering time with his family at the Boys & Girls Club. "I volunteer because over the past few years at different Comcast Cares Day events, I have been able to teach my children the value of giving back to their community. This has helped them see that even their small hands can make a difference in many people's lives.As a family, we have returned to some of the Boys & Girls Clubs to give more of our time. My children have even received birthday gifts and then donated them to the club. They came to this decision on their own and I am very proud of them for recognizing the importance of giving at such an early age."

To learn how we are enhancing communities and improving lives this Comcast Cares Day, check us out on Facebook at or follow us on Twitter at #CCDay.