As we told you a few days ago, we celebrated the start earlier this week of the second year of our Beyond School Walls program. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County match children from Woodside Elementary School in Everett to employees at our call center and executive offices in Lynnwood, supported by a grant from the Comcast Foundation.
Below is a longer video about the event than the video we posted earlier this week. What did the kids think? You’ll hear words like “fun” and much more:
Honestly, we would all love to spend more time volunteering, but between work, school events and driving the kids to their various activities there just isn’t enough time. Plus some Comcasters already volunteer in one or more ways.
That’s the beauty of Beyond School Walls. The program takes fourth and fifth graders or “littles” from a local elementary school and matches them with employees or “bigs” from a nearby company. They meet twice a month during the lunch hour at the workplace. In our case, they meet at our regional headquarters and customer service center in Lynnwood.
So what influence can a couple of lunches a month with a “ big” have on a fourth or fifth grader? The answer is, plenty. Kids who participate in the program see improvements in their attendance and grades, according to their teachers and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
They also have a lot of fun. We literally rolled out the red carpet for the 26 “littles” from Woodside Elementary School in Everett today, pretending they were Hollywood stars arriving at the Oscars. Each “Little” received a pair of sunglasses. They were greeted as they came off the bus by Comcast employees who gave them high fives and held up signs with their names on them.
Comcast began the Beyond School Walls program at our corporate headquarters in Philadelphia in 2008. It has grown to become a key component in our national partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America—a partnership in which Comcast has contributed more than $30 million in cash and in kind support.
Update on Dec. 6: Click here to see a longer version of the video about Comcast and Big Brothers and Big Sisters Beyond School Walls
As we told you before, our local offices get excited about United Way drives to raise money for the needy in the communities we serve. The results from the two-week drive are in and are impressive: more than $193,000 donated or pledged to United Ways in Puget Sound and Spokane. All our Washington State offices stepped forward, but a couple of offices raised so much money through special events that they actually had more than 100 percent participation (in effect, people gave twice – through pledges and through donating at special events). Our stars included the Aberdeen office, which is relatively small, but tightly-knit and with a strong heart for Grays Harbor. Other high performers included our call centers in Lynnwood and Fife and our field office in Olympia. One place with a lot of heart is Everett: both our field office and our call center recorded high participation.
Nationwide, Comcasters donated $5.6 million. If you’re passionate about United Way and the people it serves, it’s worth reading this blog post by Savannah Guthrie, Co-Anchor of “Today”
We’ve just posted the Comcast Neighborhoods segment that highlights great things to see and do in Everett. Host Sabrina Register will almost certainly show you things you didn’t know about that community. If you didn’t see the segment while it was running On Demand, here’s your chance through YouTube.
Here are links to some of the sites and sights shown on this Everett episode of Comcast Neighborhoods:
Host Sabrina Register enjoys a baked donut delight at Henry’s in Everett. You can enjoy a lot about Everett if you watch Comcast Neighborhoods On Demand.
Comcast Neighborhoods host Sabrina Register visits the city of Everett in a segment that’s available to On Demand customers in Washington. There’s no shortage of things to do in Everett this summer. For example, you can pack up the family and head to an AquaSox game at Memorial Stadium.
When it’s time to sit down for a meal, head to the century-old Anchor Pub. This neighborhood watering hole will make you feel right at home. But be prepared for when the train rumbles by, all the patrons yell “train beer”!
On a hot summer day, Jetty Island is the cool place to be. This 2-mile-long sandy strip of beach was created by the Corps of Engineers working on a harbor project. A free ferry gets you to the island in just a few minutes.
If you have a hankering for donuts, head to Henry’s on Broadway. There are classics like chocolate donutds to eat, and the new creations, like the maple bacon bar.
Comcast Digital TV customers can see the segment by following these easy steps:
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