The Power of Giving Back

Isn't it funny how much bigger everything seemed when you were a kid? I recently had the chance to revisit the house I grew up in as a child – the same house my family lost when I was just 15 years old. Walking inside again all these years later, I was stunned at how small it felt. In my memories, through my eyes as a child, everything seemed so much bigger.

That includes the dreams I had for myself back then. They were so big, in fact, that they seemed impossibly out of reach for someone like me – someone whose mother piled her five children in the car to deliver newspapers each morning, and then worked two other jobs, just to keep the heat on in winter. Someone who struggled every day to stay in high school. Someone who suffered years of sexual abuse from a family friend.

Yet here I am today, living my dreams for real as co-anchor of the weekday morning newscast at NBC Connecticut. The reason for my success and not failure is because other people cared enough to help – people like those at United Way.

This week, Comcast NBCUniversal kicks off our annual Employee Giving Campaign in support of United Way, and I couldn’t be more proud to stand up as an example of how support pledged through our campaign can transform someone’s life.

I invite you to watch the video above to understand how the generosity of others impacted me.

Most of us need a hand in a time of need, and Comcast NBCUniversal through its partnership with United Way for more than 50 years helps make a positive difference in all our communities. As a global nonprofit with more than 1,800 local affiliates in more than 40 countries, United Way is uniquely positioned to provide local support and assist people most in need of our help. In addition, United Way’s reach is further extended through the web of support it provides to thousands of nonprofit organizations it funds.

When I joined this company, I learned that generosity is at the heart of the culture here, driven by the belief that if we are doing business in a community, we should give something back to that community. Since 2001, Comcast NBCUniversal has provided more than $77 million in total support to United Way. Through our campaign this year, I know our employees will continue to help people many of them will never meet, and some, like me, whom they already know.

I am grateful to be part of a company that leads by example in giving back. It is truly the way that we can do the most good, together.

This article first appeared on Comcast Voices, a place for conversations with Comcast. Read more blogs about our impact in the community here.