Community Impact
Employees Drive Record United Way Results
Our Community Investment team keeps our ears to the ground year-round to reach out to colleagues across the company to identify those willing to put a familiar face on the people United Way helps.
Each year, we are awed by our coworkers who step forward - and by their desire to give back what was given to them. In the last few years, nearly two dozen such employees have graciously volunteered to be featured in a corporate video promoting the campaign and share their stories on our company website and posters distributed in our regional offices, call centers, television stations and fulfillment centers.
The response from colleagues has been heartfelt, and in 2013, Comcast employees set a new record for our United Way campaign with nearly $6.4 million in pledges. Combined with matching grants from the Comcast Foundation, we crossed the $50 million mark in historic support to United Way, an incredible milestone in our company’s 50th anniversary year.
We asked the four employees who participated in last fall’s campaign to share what it was like to be a part of it.
Dermot L. Jones, CommTech5, Concord, CA, Comcast Business
"The United Way Campaign has helped me to open up and share a part of my life with individuals across the enterprise, something that I would never think of doing in the past. This was a life-changing experience for me and my entire family. I want to personally thank each and every person for their support and for doing their part to make a difference. This campaign provided an opportunity for the people of Comcast to have a positive impact on our communities and to support the charity of our choice, the cause that matters to us individually, and for that I am sincerely grateful."
Michael Mascaro, Director of Enterprise Service, Berlin, CT, Comcast Cable
"When I first started this project, I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. However, as this year's campaign progressed, it became very clear to me how vast United Way's impact reaches into both our local communities as well as our Comcast and NBC family. I am truly thankful to have a career with a company that is not only a leader in our industry, but who also has made a decision to make a fundamental commitment to giving back to its communities."
Marilyn L. Brewer, Customer Account Executive, Oak Brook, IL, Comcast Cable
"This campaign has meant pure ‘excitement’ for me. I never realized the impact that I would have on my peers and family members just by sharing my story. I have a cousin out of the Houston office who was shocked to hear my story (not all of my family knew about it). He was proud of me and told everyone in his office, ‘That’s my cousin!’ Employees that know me and heard my story were more willing to make a pledge this year. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to change the way Comcasters view United Way donations."
Ronni Attenello, Program Director, NBCUniversal
"When my kids were school age, I would direct my (United Way) donations to my town’s ‘Community Fund.’ As they got older, I tended to direct my donations to anything that helped my special-needs son enjoy his life – Special Olympics, or various day or residential programs. This year I learned about the Community Impact Fund and how that helps the little known or smaller programs that United Way helps fund, so I chose that for my donation. But the major change this year was that I went public with how involved United Way has been with The Arc of the Farmington Valley in Connecticut, which provides my adult son with the ability to lead a fully independent life. I hate being in front of the camera, but I was thrilled with the final message. The feedback I received from staff across the country was heartwarming and I can’t thank everyone enough."
