By Patricia Williams
Comcast customer service agents at the call center on Asheville Hwy. in East Knoxville put their phones down on Saturday for the annual Comcast Cares Day. Hundreds of Comcasters, friends, family, and community members were dispersed at locations throughout Knoxville.
Teams of volunteers began work early Saturday morning. I tracked them down about 11:30 at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum where they had worked up an appetite. This group had simultaneously completed work on the grounds of Sarah Moore Green School, and the Botanical Gardens.
“It’s incredible what they’ve done,” said Jim Richards, Exec. Director of the Gardens. “We could not have done all that work. It’s monumental.” The Gardens cover 47-acres and by Richards estimate, it would have taken his staff of nine at least 2-years to complete all the work that was done.
The work was done in four visits over the course of the last two weeks in order to accommodate employee off-days. Children volunteers also pitched in. They collected materials for bird’s nests and a bounty of pine cones, thistles and other natural wonders for the children’s science and arts summer programs.
“Thousands of Comcast employees in every Comcast property throughout the country were volunteering in their community today,” said Jamie Bray, Sr. Operations Manager at the Asheville Hwy. call center. In its 19th year, this year Comcast Cares Day was global for the first time, according to Bray.
Bray was also the local Comcast Cares Day project manager. According to Bray, Saturday volunteers were simultaneously working at:
- Young-Williams Animal Shelter cleaning and donated hand-made pet toys;
- Green Magnet Academy pressure washing, painting swing sets, made planters, cleaning closets and spruced up the teachers’ lounges;
- Sarah Moore Green School
And also gave during a Medic Blood Drive at the call center earlier this week.
The companywide celebration of Comcast Cares Day is one of the largest corporate commitments to volunteerism and service in America according to the corporate website.