It’s easy to look at a company like ours and think Comcast is a big corporate entity that doesn’t understand the local community or make a meaningful impact. In Washington state, this can be exacerbated by the fact that there are so many great homegrown organizations that are “media darlings” and remain active in the community.
This can often bring a perception that other non-local corporations doing business in this state do not care about the communities they are active in each day. However, this is not an accurate characteristic for Comcast here in Washington. As a new employee and Washington native, I have been working for this company for just over four months, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about a side that this company rarely touts publicly. Behind the corporate voice and positioning, is a side to this company that I admittedly was not aware of before joining – a robust dedication to supporting the communities and nonprofit groups across this state.
While we are one of the state’s largest employers supporting ~4,800 employees and communities both big and small, this company has quietly become one of the top corporate philanthropists in the state as well.
These activities are driven by a laser focus on several areas of community investment, including Digital Inclusion, Volunteerism & Services, Accessibility, Military Engagement, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Skills for the Digital Economy.
In 2018, Comcast invested nearly $6 million in Washington state nonprofits, which includes program and event contributions, scholarships, foundation grants, employee giving campaigns, broadcast services, courtesy services, technology and equipment, and more. We also donated more than 23,000 volunteer hours across 60 different projects statewide.
This dedication to our Washington communities was something I quite honestly overlooked before joining the company. As a PR and Marketing person, I rarely remember seeing anything about this in local news when it came to Comcast in our state. Sure, there are stories in the media covering outages here and there, or a blurb about the latest in technology the company is rolling out in GeekWire or the Seattle Times. This was one of the best surprises I came across after joining the company, and it makes me proud to be a Comcast Washington employee.
Over the last 4-plus-months, I have had the pleasure to work with some of our non-profit partners and attend events that helped me learn one key thing, Comcast CARES. It might sound cheesy or corny, but it is the truth. This company is an active, helpful partner in nearly every community in this state, and that is especially true when it comes to supporting organizations and groups of people that need a helping hand. I was especially proud to participate in this year’s Digital Inclusion Days in Seattle, which impacted so many groups across the community:
This year, we supported a wide range of organizations in our state, including The Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), Ada Developer Academy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County, Bunker Labs Seattle, Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, Chief Seattle Club, Compass Housing Alliance, El Centro de la Raza, Hive Media Lab, Crosscut Media, the Seattle Pride Parade, Easter Seals Washington, Greater Seattle Business Association, Hack Nation, Mary’s Place, Seattle City Club, Social Venture Partners, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Seattle Goodwill, Technology Access Foundation (TAF) YWCA of Olympia and the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA).
Further, we also continue to receive some great feedback from our nonprofit partners. This feedback helps to reinvigorate our dedication to community impact initiatives while helping us understand the difference we can make.
“Gracias to Comcast for helping us provide digital literacy and technology training to youth with barriers to entry in the employment system! We are eternally grateful for your commitment to increasing access to living wage jobs in a high-demand industry for communities of color.” – Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro de la Raza
“Seattle Goodwill and Comcast own a shared commitment to improve our community. For more than eight years, Comcast and Goodwill have partnered to provide opportunity and independence through jobs.” – Daryl Campbell, CEO, Seattle Goodwill.
“Special Olympics Washington is excited that Comcast continues to support growth and change in the ways we support and provide programming for our athletes and the communities where they live. While Comcast has been a supporter of Special Olympics Washington for more than two decades, they continue to support our initiatives focused on innovation, inclusion, acceptance, and respect. The best part of the partnership is that it encompasses both corporate support and Comcast employee volunteering at our events.” – Dave Lenox, CEO, Special Olympics of Washington
At Comcast, we enjoy collaborating with these groups and nonprofits to find out what we can do to make a lasting impact on the lives of each person, community or organization we touch. I know I speak for our entire team when I say we look forward to supporting the organizations we will work with in 2019 and making a positive difference across the entire state of Washington.
-Nick McDonald | Public Relations Manager
