Quick Takes

Read below for some brief community updates around the country, and take the Inside CI pop quiz for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

COMPETITION FOR A CAUSE

This summer, Comcast will help host 600 of the nation’s premiere athletes for six action-packed days of competition, camaraderie, and courage. The 34^th National Veterans Wheelchair Games will kick off Aug. 12 in our corporate hometown of Philadelphia, and as presenting sponsor Comcast will join the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of America to cheer on our nation’s heroes as they compete in 17 different sports, from archery and basketball to swimming and rugby. 

Launched in 1981, the Games honor the sacrifice our military service members make, and celebrate their resiliency through sport. The competition is open to elite and novice veteran athletes who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, neurological conditions, amputations, or other mobility impairments.

When our hometown was announced as the site of the 2014 Games, Comcast stepped up to support our wounded warriors. Together with NBC10, Comcast is donating public service announcement airtime and advertising on our websites, and NBC10 is contributing broadcast talent as emcees. Additionally, members of our Veterans and Accessibility Employee Resource Groups will serve as volunteers, pitching in to hand out water, set up events, and cheer on competitors. 

"The Games are an amazing opportunity to give back to our veterans," said Steve Salata, head of the Comcast Veterans Network in Philadelphia. "Comcast Vet Net, along with the Accessibility group and others, will be out in full force to give these athletes the reception they deserve." 

Robots Take Center Stage at the Comcast Center

In recognition of Comcast and NBCUniversal’s support of FIRST® Robotics, three high school robotics teams staged a friendly competition in June to show off their skills at our company headquarters in Philadelphia. Cheered on by their Comcast mentors, company executives, FIRST president Don Bossi, and awed spectators, the students guided their robots across the Comcast Center lobby and through a series of contests, including throwing giant red and blue balls through a 10-foot tall goal. 

This school year, Comcast and NBCUniversal sponsored 54 FIRST robotics teams, and about 100 of our employees lent their talents and expertise to coach the students while building the robots, and during the competition as well. This was our sixth season supporting FIRST, a nonprofit that aims to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills. 

Assisting the robots in their demo was Comcast Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer John Schanz, a strong supporter of FIRST who sees the program as an innovation pipeline. "Through FIRST Robotics, we are investing in future engineers and leaders in technology – one of the best people investments Comcast will ever make!" 

Watch video from the event.

COMCAST CARES DAY IMPACT: ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME

As part of Comcast Cares Day last April, 95,000 volunteers fanned out across the United States and 14 other countries around the world to improve more than 820 schools, parks, and other local community centers. 

In fact, one out of every eight of this year’s projects occurred at a neighborhood school, with the goal of improving the school environment to encourage students to pursue their education with enthusiasm.

Watch the video below to see how Comcast Cares Day made change happen for the students and faculty at one of those schools – Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Philadelphia. 

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

In communities across the country, Comcast-sponsored digital literacy labs are becoming an increasingly familiar sight. Our company’s $165 million investment in national digital literacy initiatives since 2011 includes brick-and-mortar investments in local computer labs from coast to coast: 

• Over the next two years, Comcast will help LIFT, a national nonprofit committed to lifting people out of poverty, expand its digital literacy hubs in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Families at our Comcast and NBCUniversal Digital Literacy Learning Hubs will be able to get online and access critical resources.

• Our commitment to The Arc includes support for up to 12 Comcast and NBCUniversal Digital Literacy Learning Labs in major metropolitan cities. The labs will help expand technology opportunities for people with intellectual and development disabilities, a group that can feel isolated without the power to communicate.

• Comcast is partnering with Mile High United Way to sponsor the computer lab in its new downtown Denver headquarters. Scheduled to open in September, the Comcast and NBCUniversal Digital Literacy Community Center will offer technology classes for the staff of United Way’s local partners as well as members of the local community. The Center was funded with an Internet Essentials Gold Medal Award, and our support will continue five years after its doors open.

SHARING CAREER TIPS TO MAKE BETTER HAPPEN

As City Year’s National Leadership Sponsor, we equip City Year corps members and staff year-round so they can better serve at-risk students. As their year of service comes to a close, we’re also there to help corps members plan for the next steps in their professional journeys. Since 2005, we’ve hosted Career Days for more than 8,500 corps members from local City Year affiliates across the country – including nearly 1,500 young leaders this year in 13 markets. 

Social media played a big part during this year’s Career Days, as hundreds of corps members and local City Year affiliates took to Twitter and other outlets to share photos, interview tips, and career resources they learned. At the Career Day held in Boston, 250-plus tweets were posted, and in Miami, corps members shared some of what they learned, such as: 

Check out #cycareerday to see more of the great tips shared at Career Days across the country. 

INSIDE CI POP QUIZ

Each year, hundreds of young adults receive hands-on technology skills training through our Comcast Digital Connectors program. The participants also use the skills they learn to give back, volunteering at senior centers and other community-based organizations to help bridge the digital divide. Since 2009, approximately how many hours of service have our Comcast Digital Connectors given to serve their communities? 

1. 42,000

2. 64,352

3. 137,312

4. 211,121

Please email your response to comcast_inthecommunity@cable.comcast.com and note "Inside CI Pop Quiz" in the subject line. Correct responses will be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card. Only Comcast and NBCUniversal employees are eligible to win. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. EST on July 25, 2014.