Inspiring students to give back to their community at Comcast Cares Day

Comcast Cares Day is more than just a service day for Comcast NBCUniversal employees and partners. It’s a day to build community and to inspire people of all ages to be engaged in service.

This year on Comcast Cares Day, Elle Enander, a City Year Boston AmeriCorps member who serves on the Comcast NBCUniversal team, had the opportunity to serve alongside her students at the Jeremiah E. Burke high school in Boston to beautify the school she has served this year. Elle shared what it meant to work with her students in a different setting, all while simultaneously exposing her students to the invaluable experience of giving back and making a transformational impact in their school:

What really set this day apart was the opportunity to improve our school alongside my students. Together we volunteered in the library, repainting the well-loved walls a light blue, and creating art panels of famous book covers to decorate the hallway.

It was incredible working alongside the students in this space because it was a chance to hang out with them outside regular school hours and in a different context than a classroom. Not only did my team get to spend our morning laughing and talking with them, but we saw how connected they were to their school and how excited they were to help enhance it.

One student was so inspired and empowered by this opportunity that they stayed until the last possible moment, in order to help the team complete the art panels. The following Monday the students who volunteered excitedly led their peers in a tour across the school showing them what they had created. They were proud of the work they did for their school.

With my AmeriCorps year coming to a close next month, days like Comcast Cares Day are so valuable, even essential, to finishing my year strong. As another teammate of mine also expressed, “I have come to care so deeply about my students. I want nothing more than to see them succeed, see them discover their passions, and see them do good. Being able to serve with my students, to laugh with them, fit in some conversations about college here and there, and see them engaged and interested in work they were doing for their community was such a joy that I know will stand out to me when I look back on my year of service.”

Comcast Cares Day is a day of incredible impact in not just the communities City Year serves, but across the world.  This year Comcast Cares Day engaged more than 105,000 volunteers in improving 1,000 project sites at community centers, schools, gardens, parks, beaches, and more throughout the U.S. and in 22 other countries. More than 800 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff served alongside Comcast NBCUniversal employees.  In 11 U.S. cities side by side they painted murals in schools, cleaned up parks, built community gardens and much more. Continue reading for more Comcast Cares Day highlights from across the City Year network!

City Year Chicago

More than 75 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff joined Comcast NBCUniversal at the Spencer Tech Academy. Volunteers painted murals throughout the hallways at the Spencer Technology Academy, built bookcases, and more to beautify the school!

City Year Denver

In Denver, more than 70 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff joined Comcast NBCUniversal and community volunteers at Lake International School to beautify the exterior of the school.

City Year Detroit

More than 20 City Year Detroit AmeriCorps members and staff joined Comcast NBCUniversal and a group of youth volunteers from the Detroit Chapter of the Association of Chinese Americans at one of Comcast Michigan’s 17 Comcast Cares Day projects. Serving at Motor City Blight Busters, volunteers readied a shipping container to be converted into an activity space for young people, revitalized a community garden and cleaned up trash strewn about after several wind storms.

City Year Jacksonville

In Jacksonville, the Comcast NBCUniversal sponsored City Year team spent a beautiful spring day revitalizing the historic Lonnie C. Miller Park. Working side-by-side under the Spanish moss draped oak trees, City Year, Comcast NBCUniversal volunteers, family, and community members mulched, weeded and landscaped the park making it an even more enjoyable recreational space for local residents and families.

City Year Little Rock

Comcast NBCUniversal volunteers were joined by more than 50 City Year Little Rock AmeriCorps Members and AmeriCorps NCCC members at the St. Joseph Community Farm. Together, the team completed all of our projects across the farm, including building work sheds, creating a zen garden, trimming bushes and trees, planting flowers, harvesting radishes for local food shelters, and washing and cleaning the interior of the historic building at the farm. This was City Year Little Rock’s 13th Comcast Cares Day, and with the more than 100 people who came out to serve the community it goes down as one of their best yet!

City Year Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, about 400 volunteers joined more than 65 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff at the North Hollywood High School to complete a total of 23 projects. Volunteers painted over 100 college logos, college-themed stairwells, and other mural projects to enhance school pride and promote educational success throughout the campus for more than 2,800 students.

City Year Miami

City Year Miami led over 300 volunteers from Comcast NBCUniversal and the Miami community in beautifying the Athalie Range park. Projects included mural painting, revitalizing the pool area with bright paint colors, and packing backpacks for veterans. Along with volunteers from Comcast, City Year, and Communities in Schools, a number of members from the community came to volunteer. Among the many murals painted was one of Rosa Parks which was drawn by City Year Miami Team Leader Kelly Herman. The day was a great success!

City Year New Hampshire

On Comcast Cares Day in Manchester, the City Year team sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal lead projects to beautify their school, engaging more than 250 Comcast NBCUniversal and community volunteers in projects across the entire school to create a more positive, engaging and welcoming learning environment for students. Volunteers painted murals, landscaped across the school grounds, repainted the school gym, and even converted a unused dirt patch in the playground into a huge sandbox. One of the school’s favorite projects was an “all the things you can be” word mural to encourage students to be their best selves. Check out City Year New Hampshire’s blog post on Comcast Cares Day here!

City Year Philadelphia

City Year Philadelphia welcomed nearly 300 volunteers at Dr. Tanner Duckrey K-8 School for Comcast Cares Day.  Projects consisted of around 80 murals focused on high school and college career readiness, popular children’s book covers, and images and quotes by inspirational African American leaders, and more. Volunteers also painted the school’s four stairwells with their own core subject themes: English, social studies, math and science.

Read more about the Comcast Cares Day with City Year Philadelphia here!

City Year Washington, D.C.

In Washington, D.C. more than 100 City Year AmeriCorps members and staff were joined by approximately 400 volunteers from Comcast NBCUniversal and the community to beautify the John Hayden Johnson Middle School.  Together volunteers transformed unused classrooms into school partnership spaces, painted murals throughout the school, and beautified courtyard spaces with garden boxes, picnic tables, and additional landscaping. Comcast NBCUniversal also sponsors the team of City Year AmeriCorps members who support John Hayden Johnson Middle School’s 191 students through tutoring and mentoring.

See more photos from the City Year DC Service Day here!