KING TV’s ‘New Day Northwest’ Highlights Longstanding Partnership of Comcast and El Centro de La Raza in Seattle

May 1, 2012 by

Steve Kipp of Comcast and Estela Ortega of El Centro de La Raza were guests on the May 1 KING TV New Day Northwest program. Click on the picture to go to the program's page and see the segment.

KING TV’s morning talk show, New Day Northwest, featured the subject of Comcast Cares Day during one of its segments today, May 1. KING’s Margaret Larson interviewed Estela Ortega of El Centro de La Raza and Steve Kipp, vice president of communications for Comcast in Washington.

Estela Ortega was very gracious as she described the aftereffects of 200 volunteers:  ”…it was about $20,000 worth of labor. We could not have afforded that. We need the dollars to go directly into the services to the community. So it was a great help. And this was our second year with Comcast. It helps save a lot of dollars.”

Margaret Larson described one of many reasons why companies do need to give back to the community: “ You make a very good point, because all nonprofits, especially these days when dollars are at such a premium, can’t put that money toward capital expenditures, the building, the asphalt. You know you have a whole in your parking lot, but if it’s a choice between that and feeding a family or doing something that’s critical, you have to put your dollars into the program, so this is unbelievably valuable to you.”

Steve Kipp talked about other ways that Comcast enjoys supporting El Centro de La Raza, such as through its youth Digital Connectors program: “We like to think of ourselves as partners, so if Estela needs something, she gives me a call, and we try to figure it out and work with them.”

You can click here to go to New Day’s page and hear what everyone had to say. To see a set of photos on Flickr that capture some of the activity on Comcast Cares Day, click here.

More than 2,200 Comcast employees, friends and family members volunteered throughout Washington. You can read more and see photographs and video of the various 2012 projects here.

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

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

April 23, 2012 by


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.

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

Everett: Salvation Army

Everett: Cascade High School and the Everett School District

Fife: Fife Parks Department at the Lower Hylebos Marsh


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.


Olympia: Rebuilding Together of Thurston County.

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

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’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 , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

April 19, 2012 by

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 Honors Leaders and Achievers Scholars at Alliance for Education Breakfast

April 3, 2012 by

Scholarship winners

Comcast Leaders and Achievers who attend Seattle Public Schools were honored at the Alliance for Education breakfast: from left to right, Steve Kipp, VP of Communications for Comcast; Lisa Field; Demetra Zenos; Vy Chuong; Desiree Gross; Emily Proulx and Seattle Schools Superintendent Susan Enfield.

A powerful video shown at last week’s Alliance for Education breakfast asks the question: what if our students had a strong and supportive community behind them?

As the person representing Comcast at the event, I’m happy to report that we’ve tried to answer that question in part with our longtime support of the Alliance and our Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarship program.

And best of all, I had the opportunity to stand on stage before more than 900 people at the Alliance’s 10th annual breakfast and recognize some pretty amazing students.

But first, a little background. The Alliance for Education is an independent non-profit which supports Seattle Public Schools through fundraising, advocacy and community engagement. Comcast has supported the Alliance for the last several years, most notably as the presenting sponsor of its annual fundraising breakfast.

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers program is a nationwide scholarship program that has awarded more than $15.4 million to thousands of students since 2001. This year, Comcast named 90 Leaders and Achievers scholarship winners in Washington state, awarding each a $1,000 scholarship.

While the program honors the best and the brightest, it also singles out young people who are active in their schools and in their communities. Comcast Leaders and Achievers isn’t just about good grades, it is about making a difference too.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to stand on stage with Seattle Schools Superintendent Susan Enfield and recognize the Comcast Leaders and Achievers winners who attend Seattle public schools, handing them a sweatshirt from the school they plan to attend next year.

Like all the scholarship winners, the five women I recognized last week not only are great students but clearly care about their schools and their community. Lisa Field, who is a senior at Nathan Hale High School, helps children with disabilities at Northwest’s Child. Demetra Zenos, who attends Ballard High School, already has received her Associate’s degree, and is the President of her school’s DECA chapter. DECA is an international student marketing organization.

Desiree Gross, who attends Chief Sealth High School, has devoted hours of her time to The Service Board, an organization that combines outdoor recreation, mentoring and civic education. Vy Chuong of Ingrahm High School volunteered at the Wilderness Inner City Leadership Development Program and Emily Proulx of Garfield High School volunteered at the Garfield High School POST, which is an outdoor education program for students.

Congratulations to all the winners.

PS – in case you know any of the youth and wonder about the sweatshirts they are holding: We present the youth with sweatshirts reflecting colleges they have shown an interest in; but some may end up deciding to attend another school.

Filed under Community investment Tagged with , , ,

Maps Show Where Comcast Donated to Organizations in 2011 in Western Washington and Spokane County

December 27, 2011 by

map that shows community giving by Comcast in Washington

Click on this map to see where Comcast has been donating over the past couple of years. We just listed the places in 2011 where we donated.

One of the things we do in our office is help manage community giving by Comcast in Western Washington and Spokane. What I like to do as an exercise is plot out on a map where Comcast donates. We use a wonderful tool offered by the great folks at Zeemaps. Today I gathered up info from several databases and charted Comcast’s 2011 giving, and then added that info to the main map.

Click on this screenshot to see where Comcast donated in 2011 alone. This is a closeup of the Seattle area. You can click on the map to move in on various areas.

This exercise helps us identify any geographic gaps. The map also,  frankly, helps answer a question that comes up from time to time: “So what does Comcast do for the community in Washington state?” Now, I don’t know how often that question comes up.  I have no idea how many people take local community giving  into account before choosing to give their business to us or a competitor. Of course, it doesn’t matter how often people ask the question. Community giving is the right thing to do on its own. The right community investment can produce the ultimate return on investment: changing entire lives for the better.

Among the most common ways we donate: scholarships through the Leaders and Achievers program, airtime on Comcast Newsmakers or through public service announcements we air on cable channels, cash grants by the local office or the Comcast Foundation, airtime donated through On Demand, and more. We spend a lot of time thinking about how to donate to support youth technology programs and many other worth groups and causes.

Among the largest recipients in 2011: Hire America’s Heroes (which promotes the hiring of veterans by private industry statewide), the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian-American Experience, the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, Alliance for Education, TVW, City Year of Seattle/King County, Tacoma Urban League, Hopelink, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County, Whatcom County and Thurston County. As you can see from the map, that’s just a partial list.

All that said, there’s a price that one pays for seemingly “giving away” money. We spend a lot of time having to say no. There just isn’t enough time, money and other resources to say yes to everyone.  We’ve got a pretty full list of groups and causes we sponsor now. But if you ever want to apply for your group, you’re always welcome to fill out our online application. If you’d like someone from a group to be on Comcast Newsmakers, our public affairs segments filmed in both Western Washington and Spokane, you can get more information here.

Filed under 2011 News Releases, Community investment Tagged with , , ,

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