Project part of Comcast Cares Day: 6,500 Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their friends and family members complete more than 70 Chicago-region volunteer projects.
April 21, 2018 – On Comcast Cares Day, Saturday, April 21, 6,500 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners participated in more than 70 volunteer projects across Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
This year, one of the largest projects in the region took place at Cradles to Crayons, a community-based organization that provides new and nearly new clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, toys and other essential items to disadvantaged children for free. Cradles to Crayons gets these items through grassroots supply drives and corporate donations. On the 21st, hundreds of Comcast Cares Day volunteers came to Cradles to Crayons’ warehouse (“The Giving Factory,” located at 4141 W. George St. in Chicago) and helped process and package more than 7,500 hygiene kits and other items for distribution to children in neighborhoods across the city.
“Chicago is fortunate to have a strong civic minded community that promotes volunteerism to help strengthen our neighborhoods,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who visited Cradles to Crayons on Comcast Cares Day. “Comcast Cares Day provides a unique way for residents to connect with each other, engage in their communities and work together to improve the lives of children and families across our City.
“All children deserve to have their essential needs met without worrying where that support will come from,” said Cradles to Crayons Chicago executive director Bernard Cherkasov. “I can’t thank Comcast NBCUniversal enough for sending hundreds of volunteers and assembling literally thousands of kits. The company’s support here in Chicago has a major impact on our ability to fulfill our mission.”
“Comcast Cares Day is my favorite day of the year. I’m inspired by the thousands of Comcast employees and their family members and friends who came out to paint, clean, build, repair, plant and more on Comcast Cares Day,” said Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region senior vice president John Crowley. “I can’t thank the volunteers who came out to Cradles to Crayons to help make change happen in their communities enough. The packages they put together will make an enormous difference in the lives of the children who receive them.”
This year marks the 17th annual Comcast Cares Day, and volunteers celebrated a significant milestone – reaching 1 million volunteers since the program begin in 2001. Altogether, 100,000 volunteers participated in more than 1,000 projects worldwide. To date, Comcast Cares Day volunteers have contributed more than 5 million volunteer hours and completed 8,800 projects.
In addition to providing volunteers, the Comcast Foundation will provide grants to community partners like Cradles to Crayons that host projects. The grants are designed to help recipient organizations continue their missions throughout the year. To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $22 million in grants to participating organizations.
About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—expanding digital literacy, promoting community service, and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $200 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at https://comca.st/2HQPG9d.
With nearly 7,000 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region (https://comca.st/2HQPGGf) serves customers in Central and Northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. “Like” Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region on Facebook by visiting @Comcast. “Follow” Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region on Twitter at @ComcastILLINOIS.