Volunteers Spruce Up Benwood City Park

By Harris, Linda

Benwood’s city park got a $15,000 makeover recently from employees of Comcast and community volunteers.

Comcast employees joined with the Benwood Volunteer Fire Department, its Ladies Auxiliary and community residents to rehabilitate park facilities as part of “Comcast Cares” Day Oct. 1.

“It went really, really well,” said Jeff Fleahman, account executive in Comcast’s Bridgeport, Ohio, office. “We figure we had about 80, 85 volunteers.”

The project, one of three that made it to Comcast’s short list locally, involved painting the park shelter, rewiring and re- plumbing the building, installing new toilets and sinks in the bathroom, building picnic tables, resealing the basketball court, landscaping and painting playground equipment. They also donated a refrigerator, stove and microwave for the park, along with $7,000 in new playground equipment that didn’t arrive on time. When it is delivered, Fleahman said the volunteers will return to install it.

A Wheeling business, Mountain Aire Heating & Air Conditioning, also donated an air conditioner.

“There were a total of 13 projects that we looked at,” Fleahman said. “Some were too big, some were too small. Some weren’t (for) nonprofit groups.”

For the past five years Comcast employees across the country have participated in the day of service, one of the largest one-day corporate volunteer efforts in the United States. Ralph Roberts, Comcast founder and director of the company’s executive and finance committees, called it “the highlight of our volunteer efforts.”

“We’re extremely proud of our employees who have generously given of their time and talents to impact their neighborhoods on Comcast Cares Day and throughout the year,” he said.

Fleahman said it’s a community-driven effort: residents, not Comcast or its employees, decide what needs done in their communities. Of the 13 projects proposed in the local office’s three- county service base Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia and Belmont County in Ohio three met the program requirements. Representatives of those three communities then made presentations to local Comcast employees, who then voted on which to do.

“It was just a fantastic day,” Fleahman said. “It really made a significant difference in the viability of this shelter and the park.”

Last year, the volunteers made improvements at a Moundsville playground.

Fleahman said Comcast’s community involvement extends far beyond its corporate day of service. The company sponsors programs and community events year-round.

“I’d say over the last 12 months, with this project we’ve donated $35,000 to $40,000 to community projects and events,” he said.

Nationwide, some 30,000 Comcast employees participated in community service projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Copyright State Journal Corporation Oct 07, 2005