April 26th marks the thirteenth annual Comcast Cares Day—when tens of thousands of Comcast and NBCUniversal employees, their families and friends, and a host of community partners will give back to their communities in the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort.
This Saturday, volunteers will contribute their time and energy to provide maintenance, supplies, and makeovers to local schools, parks, and community centers. Comcast Cares Day comes on the heels of Earth Week, which is widely supported by NBCUniversal’s Green is Universal initiative. Many planet- friendly projects, like building community gardens, cleaning beaches and riverbanks, and planting trees, will add to the diverse line-up of projects.
Comcast and NBCUniversal are also partnering with hundreds of nonprofit community organizations, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, City Year, and Easter Seals, as well as local chapters of the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League. Their members will be working side by side with Comcast Cares Day volunteers throughout the huge one-day event.
During this year’s Comcast Cares Day, volunteers participating in more than 800 projects will serve at sites worldwide, with NBCUniversal managing projects in about a dozen countries, including England, Singapore, France, Germany, India, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and Italy.
Check out a few of the projects on the schedule for Saturday :
- Washington, Illinois, (Storm Relief Clean-Up)–On November 17, 2013, an EF-4 tornado devastated Washington and several surrounding communities. Bethany Community Church has been working since that time to provide relief to the community by sending in thousands of volunteers and arranging housing for the displaced. As of March 15, 2014, about 50 percent of the clean-up has been done, but there is still a lot of work to do. Approximately 500 Comcast Cares Day volunteers will clear and haul debris, and tear out drywall and carpet in impacted community facilities.
- Baltimore City, Maryland, (Druid Hill Park)–Approximately 300 volunteers will be building a native garden; pruning, weeding and mulching, cleaning up trash around the park; and installing a fence.
- Nashville, Tennessee, (Jere Baxter Middle School)–Approximately 400 volunteers will be sprucing up the school by landscaping the main entrance, hanging bulletin boards, cleaning and decorating classrooms, painting, and building a small shed near the athletic field.
- Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, (Thye Hua Kwan Senior Activity Center)–Volunteers at the senior center will be spring cleaning and providing companionship with the elderly for the afternoon.
- Houston, Texas, (Camp Hope)–Approximately 270 volunteers will lend a hand at Camp Hope, which provides interim housing for veterans and their families suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder in a caring and positive environment. Projects will include park cleanup and deck maintenance.
- Los Angeles, California, (Rio Vista Elementary School)–About 500 volunteers will transform the walls of the school by painting multicultural and diverse murals, as well as general beautification of the school.
- New York, New York, (East River Park Revitalization)–Approximately 70 volunteers will improve East River Park by removing weeds from plant beds, applying compost and woodchips around trees, planting native shrubs, and painting a fence. The completed projects will prepare East River Park for the busy summer months.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (Germantown Boys & Girls Club)–More than 250 volunteers will clean up the historic structure that serves the Boys & Girls Club, as well as adjacent athletic fields and open space. Litter removal, landscaping, painting, and minor repairs will be included in the project.
- London, England, (Action Homeless Concern)–Volunteers will be preparing and serving lunch and refreshments to the homeless, as well as clearing tables, washing dishes, and sorting the food pantry.
- Washington, DC (West Education Campus)–Approximately 400 volunteers will participate in this school clean-up project, which will include painting murals, planting flowers and plants, mulching, and building vegetable gardens. West Education Campus supports the development of creative and innovative thinkers from preschool through 8th grade.
Comcast Cares Day is held every year in April (National Volunteer Month). So far, the event has provided more than three million volunteer hours and 500,000 volunteers (including more than 85,000 volunteers last year alone) since it began in 2001. And, since the event’s inception, this annual day of service has contributed more than $14 million to local nonprofit organizations.