Comcast Cares Day comes to life every year thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees, friends, families and local nonprofit organizations. And of the 105,000-plus volunteers who participated in Cares Day in 2017, more than 1,200 were employees who took the lead in planning and running our project sites. This year’s Comcast Cares Day is April 21, 2018. Project coordinators are responsible for creating and managing volunteer opportunities from the ground up, and working with our community partners to identify where our volunteers can have the most impact.
Kirsten Bell is a senior Human Resources Director and Cares Day project coordinator. Learn more about why she gives back below.
Name: Kristen Bell
Title: Senior Human Resources Director in the Keystone Region
2018 Comcast Cares Day Project: Treasure House Fashions
How many years have you been a project coordinator: Two
What does Comcast Cares Day mean for your community: The Pittsburgh community gets so much support on Cares Day – our volunteers really are everywhere that day – and I love seeing news coverage of our projects. Each of those stories represents a community that we touched, that we helped. It means kids show up at school on Monday to a bright, fun place to learn. It means parks where our children play are cleaned of trash. And for me, it means we get to fulfill an organization’s “honey do” list so they can focus on their mission of helping women in crisis.
What part of being a project coordinator, makes you proudest: I get to bring my passion in serving the community to the office. I am so proud to be part of a company that gives back, and our volunteer projects are so meaningful to the non-profits we support. The non-profit I support is Treasure House, which helps women in crisis. It provides women who are escaping domestic violence or homelessness with deeply discounted clothing to help them get back on their feet. It may seem simple, but being able to put on nice clothes helps these women feel like active members of our community again. It removes a stigma, and it opens them up to a new support system.
When I met the founder of Treasure House, I was so moved by her mission that I wanted to get our local Women’s Network Employee Resource Group involved in their work. I organized an evening get-together at Treasure House with our ERG members, and it was such a hit that I asked if we could do a Comcast Cares Day project with them. And now we’re going back again this year for the second time.
Without the support and sweat equity provided by our volunteers, Treasure House would have a much harder time accomplishing the work needed. They support over 60 other charities, so helping them helps the entire community of organizations that support women in crisis.
What impact do project coordinators have on Comcast Cares Day: We ensure projects are available in the communities where our employees live and work and then bring them to life to help those communities. Treasure House is a small nonprofit in my community that has gotten much-needed volunteer and financial support on Comcast Cares Day. One small organization at a time, projects coordinators are leaving lasting legacies throughout the world.
Sign up for Comcast Cares Day:
Kristen’s project at Treasure House is just one of hundreds that need your support on Comcast Cares Day. To find a project near you, visit http://comca.st/2GW0ilD. You can search for projects by zip code, skill needed, and project type. And once you find a project to support, you can also invite your friends, family and community group to join you on April 21st, too!
