BERLIN, Conn., April 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 650 Comcast Connecticut employees, their families and friends will join more than 67,000 volunteers nationwide as they spend today, Saturday, April 21, 2012, participating in one of the country's largest corporate days of community service – the 11th Comcast Cares Day. Comcast's Connecticut volunteers will roll up their sleeves at nine sites across the state, which are among approximately 650 project sites across the country, to lend a hand to the communities the company serves.
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.
"Today, for the 11th time since 2001, we once again celebrate Comcast Cares Day. Since the program's inception, more than 360,000 Comcast employees, their families and friends have contributed their time to their communities," said Mary McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Comcast's Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut. "Today, we will surpass 2.5 million total hours of service. Comcast Cares Day is about coming together to have a positive impact on our communities, and I am truly proud to join my fellow employees as we continue in that mission."
Comcast volunteers will spend the day doing community clean-up, landscaping, and painting, and will install two "Born Learning Trails" – one in Branford and one in Waterbury -- in partnership with the United Way of Greater New Haven and the United Way of Greater Waterbury, respectively. A Born Learning Trail is a set of fun, physical learning activities that parents or caregivers can play with young children in an outdoor setting, arranged on a walking trail. Comcast volunteers installed New Haven's first Born Learning Trail at the Conte West Hills School during the 2008 Comcast Cares Day, Hartford's first trail at Burns Elementary School the following year and Middletown's first trail at Snow Elementary School in 2010.