We are thrilled today to host our companywide celebration of Comcast Cares Day, one of the largest corporate commitments to volunteerism and service in America and a celebration of our year-round dedication to giving back.  Our volunteers have been participating in service projects across the country and around the world for several weeks, from planting trees and providing additional disaster relief to packaging food for families in need and hosting coding workshops to inspire students to explore technology careers.

We believe companies have a responsibility to give back to the communities where their employees and customers live and work, and that is what Comcast Cares Day is all about.  We bring together more than 100,000 employees, their friends and family members, and local nonprofits to make our communities stronger.  Last year, we were proud to engage our one millionth volunteer since the first Comcast Cares Day in 2001.

This year, we will be joined in Europe by our colleagues at Sky, the newest company welcomed to the Comcast NBCUniversal family.  Across our entire company, we will be making change happen in 23 countries.  About 800 Sky volunteers will be joining us for the first time this year, working on more than 40 initiatives, including a partnership with Solidarity Sports, where volunteers will spend the day working with children from underserved communities to help develop teamwork and communication skills through arts, sports, and mentorship.

NBCUniversal is also giving back – from Canada to Italy to Singapore – and in communities nationwide including in the Bronx, where our NBC 4 and Telemundo 47 volunteers will partner with City Year to renovate a local public school with wall murals, graphic designs on the playground, and other improvements.

Many of our other nonprofit partners, including UnidosUS, National Urban League, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Easterseals, and The Arc, along with hundreds of local community organizations, are also working side-by-side with Comcast Cares Day volunteers.

As for me, I’m spending my Comcast Cares Day with our team in Colorado Springs – which is known as Olympic City USA –and we’ve enlisted Olympic gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando to join our efforts for a second straight year.  Jocelyne and Monique serve as ambassadors for our company’s corporate values initiatives, and it has become a tradition for them to join us during Comcast Cares Day.  

Yesterday, the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region hosted us as Jocelyne and Monique shared their Olympic journey with the Club members and led them in a series of leadership and athletic development activities.  And this morning, we are joining Comcast customer service agents and their families, along with Bill Strahan, who leads Human Resources for Comcast Cable, and Rich Jennings, the head of our Colorado team, to complete beautification projects at a local community center acclaimed for its redevelopment efforts. 

To me, Comcast Cares Day is the ultimate exemplification of our commitment to giving back to our communities – and it’s a celebration of our commitment to give back each and every day of the year.  The incredible impact of the efforts of our employees, extended Comcast NBCUniversal and Sky family, and nonprofit partners year after year is truly amazing.  I look forward to today’s global activities when we will see so many projects come to life, and I’m honored to be a part of this service movement to make our world better.