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Comcast Employee Honored as Citizen-Soldier/Airman of the Year in Pierce County, WA

April 24, 2012

We’re proud today of one of our own: communications technician Ralph Godinez, also known as Staff Sgt. Ralph Godinez of the 728th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Staff Sgt. Godinez was honored today as Citizen-Soldier of the Year by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. Every year, they join with local Kiwanis Clubs to name a Howard O. Scott Citizen-Soldier of the Year. That’s the historic name of the award, though of course the sharp readers out there have already figured that out that someone based at McChord could also be called Citizen-Airman of the Year.

Staff Sgt. Godinez is on leave from Comcast as he serves in the Reserves. As you see in this profile by his one of his colleagues, Master Sgt. Jake Chapelle, Staff Sgt. Godinez is a very, very busy man with his community service.

Comcast, of course, is a big believer in military service. We film and air PSAs for Hire America’s Heroes, an organization that encourages employers to hire veterans. And just a few weeks ago, a Department of Defense agency presented us with an award for supporting another Reservist, this one in Seattle.

I was proud to attend the lunch and hear this accomplished man say these words: “Thank you to Comcast, my civilian employer, and their fantastic treatment and understanding of Reservists. Their flexibility and accommodations go well beyond the requirement of the law.”

Here are comments about Staff Sgt. Godinez and his own comments at the Tacoma chamber event on April 24, 2012.

Filed under 2012 Comcast Washington News Releases, 2012 News Releases, News Releases

Comcast Employees, Family and Friends Make a Big Difference Throughout Western Washington and Spokane on 11th Annual Comcast Cares Day

April 23, 2012

It’s hard to know what to say to the more than 2,200 local Comcast employees and their families and friends who volunteered Saturday, April 21, 2012, at 13 school and nonprofit sites around Western Washington and Spokane as part of Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast’s Steve Kipp was one of several people that KIRO talked to the morning of Comcast Cares Day at our volunteer site of El Centro de La Raza in Seattle. Click on the picture to see the interviews.

Of course, we do say, Thank You. But one thing we like to do is collect photographs and stories from the day, as part of this wonderful scrapbook that we all call the Internet. So if you keep an eye on this post, you will see a gradually growing list of links to photographs and stories about our volunteers’ hard work.

Here is a list of projects and reports:

Aberdeen: Habitat for Humanity of Grays Harbor.

Here’s a personal blog post by one of the volunteers, whose children also helped.
Click here to see photographs of the work
Radio station KBKW had a report about the event here
Here’s a photograph of the work published in the Daily World

Click on the picture to see a photograph published in the Daily World of Aberdeen, Washington

Bellingham: Whatcom Parks and Recreation Foundationat the Chuckanut Falls Trail

Bremerton: Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound’s Bremerton Olympia Avenue location

Click here to see photographs of the day in Bremerton
Here’s mention in a great article in the Bremerton Patriot about the value of volunteering

Everett: Salvation Army

Click here to see photographs of the Everett project

Everett: Cascade High School and the Everett School District

Fife: Fife Parks Department at the Lower Hylebos Marsh

You can see a nice article in the Fife Free Press here about Comcast Cares Day there
Click here to see the Fife Free Press’ followup story after the event
Here is an editorial in the Fife Free Press about what volunteering means to a community
Click here to see pictures of the volunteering in Fife
For a video about highlights of the project, see the YouTube screen below:

Kent: Northwest Harvest Northwest Harvest reports that our people put in $24,000 worth of donated labor. We packed 19,000 meals for the hungry.

The Kent Reporter’s account before the big day
The Kent Reporter’s story from the big day
@KentKOMO has pictures here
Click here to see photographs of our Auburn office folks helping Northwest Harvest
Click below to see a short film about all the activity:

Olympia: Rebuilding Together of Thurston County.

The Olympian photographer Tony Overman has a slideshow of the Comcast Cares Day project in Olympia.
Click here to read a story about people helping a special 99-year-old lady
Here are our photographs of the project

ThurstonTalk.com has a really nice story summarizing all that Rebuilding Together does

Redmond: Eastside Audubon Society at the Audubon BirdLoop at Marymoor Park.

Seattle: El Centro de La Raza

Click here to see the KING TV morning show segment about this project
Click here to see interviews on KIRO TV that morning, filmed at El Centro de La Raza
Click here to see our pictures of the event
Click on the screenshot at the top of this page to see video of the Seattle project.
Here you’ll see a great slideshow of El Centro de La Raza’s pictures from the day

Seattle: Wing Luke Asian Museum

Click here to see one of the live Tweets and pictures from the event

Spokane: Northeast Community Center

Tacoma: Metro Parks STAR (South Tacoma Activity and Recreation) Center Here, Comcast volunteers worked side-by-side with partners from the Tacoma Urban League and a local Girl Scout Troop.

Here are photographs of the project

Here’s a video produced by the Tacoma Urban League’s youth Comcast Digital Connectors and one of their instructors, Yusaf Word:

Filed under 2012 Comcast Washington News Releases, 2012 News Releases, Community investment, News Releases Tagged with Aberdeen, Bellingham, Bremerton, Comcast Cares Day, Comcast Cares Day 2012, El Centro de La Raza, Everett, Fife, Kent, Olympia, Redmond, Seattle, Spokane

11th Annual Comcast Cares Day on Saturday Mobilizes More Than 2,200 Volunteers in Western Washington and Spokane

April 19, 2012

Click on the picture above to see KREM2 TV's report about our Comcast Cares Day project in Spokane.

As we announced in the original post about Comcast Cares Day 2012, it’s time to gear up for one of the biggest days of corporate service in the country! This is the news release we prepared for the occasion. Keep an eye out for frequent updates.

LYNNWOOD, WA – April 19, 2012– On Saturday, April 21, more than 2,200 local Comcast employees and their families and friends will volunteer to improve 13 school and nonprofit sites around Western Washington and Spokane as part of Comcast Cares Day.

Throughout the country, more than 67,000 Comcast volunteers will participate in this annual day of service. Since its inception in 2001, Comcast Cares Day has become one of the largest single days of corporate volunteering in the country.

During the day of service, Comcast employees in Washington will take part in a variety of volunteer efforts ranging from finishing the landscaping at a new community center to installing improvements at a house so a 100-year-old lady can continue to live there independently.

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.

“Since Comcast Cares Day began, more than 360,000 employees, their families and friends have contributed their time to improving the communities where we live and work,” said Len Rozek, senior vice president of Comcast’s Washington market, who will be volunteering at El Centro de La Raza in Seattle. “Today, we will surpass 2.5 million total hours of service. I’m grateful to the volunteers here in Washington who will be donating their time to help make such a big difference in the lives of others.”

This is a list of the communities where the projects will take place, and our community partners:

Aberdeen: Habitat for Humanity of Grays Harbor. (Radio station KBKW had a report about the event here)

Bellingham: Whatcom Parks and Recreation Foundation at the Chuckanut Falls Trail.

Bremerton: Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound’s Bremerton Olympia Avenue location

Everett: Salvation Army

Everett: Cascade High School and the Everett School District

Fife: Fife Parks Department at the Lower Hylebos Marsh. (You can see a nice article in the Fife Free Press here about Comcast Cares Day there)

Kent: Northwest Harvest (The Kent Reporter’s account is here)

Olympia: Rebuilding Together of Thurston County. (ThurstonTalk.com has a really nice story summarizing all that Rebuilding Together does)

Redmond: Eastside Audubon Society at the Audubon BirdLoop at Marymoor Park.

Seattle: El Centro de La Raza

Seattle: Wing Luke Asian Museum

Spokane: Northeast Community Center (KREM 2′s story done in advance of the work is here)

Tacoma: Metro Parks STAR (South Tacoma Activity and Recreation) Center Here, Comcast volunteers will be working side-by-side with partners from the Tacoma Urban League and a local Girl Scout Troop.

The Comcast Foundation will 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. For more information about Comcast Cares Day in Washington, see http://wacomcast.com/tag/comcast-cares-day/

Filed under 2012 Comcast Washington News Releases, 2012 News Releases, Community investment, News Releases Tagged with Comcast Cares Day, Comcast Cares Day 2012

Department of Defense Honors Comcast for Support of Employees Who Serve in the Washington National Guard and Reserve

April 13, 2012

Comcast was honored for its support of the military. From left to right, Jeff Votaw, director of technical operations, Comcast Seattle field office; Pete Stemmermann, technical operations supervisor; Specialist Mathew Ellison; Marjorie James, employee outreach coordinator for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; and Michael Cindric, vice president, human resources, for Comcast's Washington market.

The following comes from a press release from the U.S. Department of Defense’s organization Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

The Washington Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR,) an agency of the Department of Defense, announced today that Pete Stemmermann, Technical Operations Supervisor, Comcast, was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support his employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

According to Marjorie James, ESGR Employer Outreach Coordinator, “The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support to their employees who have answered the nation’s call to serve. ESGR presents a Patriot Award on behalf of an employee who requests that this honor be awarded to his or her manager or supervisor. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s National Guard and Reserve units.”

Mr. Stemmermann was nominated for the Patriot Award by his employee, Specialist Mathew G. Ellison, a member of the US Army Reserves. Specialist Ellison said of his employer, “My supervisor, Mr. Stemmermann, is flexible with my work schedule, allowing me time to prepare for my deployment. My company, Comcast, continues my employee benefits throughout my deployment.”

As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions within America’s borders and beyond, ESGR will continue to be a primary resource for their employers. ESGR provides education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers who have concerns about USERRA (the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.) USERRA protects the employment rights of Guard and Reserve forces nationwide. For more information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.esgr.mil or call the State office at 877-306-1971.

We chatted with both Spec. Ellison and Pete after the plaque presentation; here’s what they had to say about military service and employer support: