Contact: Andrea Money, Leadership Prince William
Phone: 571-765-7568
Email: andrea@leadershipprincewilliam.org
For Immediate Release
May 8, 2019
Leadership Prince William Engages 318 Volunteers for Day of Service
May 4 Project Benefited The Arc of Greater Prince William & John Jenkins Park
More photos available on Facebook.
The Leadership Prince William Class of 2019 (pictured here) planned and implemented the entire project.
For the fifth consecutive year, Leadership Prince William (LPW) and Comcast teamed up on a local community service project for the 18th Annual Comcast Cares Day. On Saturday, May 4, over a period of just four hours, more than 300 volunteers came together on the grounds of The Arc of Greater Prince William for a day of service. Projects included revitalization efforts at the adjacent John D. Jenkins Park (part of the Prince William County Parks System), painting the interior of the Muriel Humphrey Childcare Center for the Arc, and extensive exterior improvements to the Arc grounds; from landscaping to painting playground equipment and over 100 yards of curb. Volunteers even built furniture for the classrooms at the Arc and sowed native wilflower seeds at John Jenkins Park, among other projects.
Andrea Money, Executive Director for Leadership Prince William, explained how The Arc was chosen for this year’s project: “Each year the members of our Adult Signature Program work in teams to propose various projects for Comcast Cares Day,” she said. “We submit the proposals to Comcast for a final decision. The team that put together the ARC project proposal had such a passion for helping people with disabilities, and it really stood out. The entire Leadership Prince William Class of 2019 threw their weight behind the project and it came together in a huge way. I think that passion extended to the volunteer sign-ups as well. We have never had this many volunteers on any other project. Eventually we actually had to close the registration because we had exceeded the estimated needed by over 100 people. It was clearly the right time for this project.”
According to Money, the LPW Class of 2019 managed to secure nearly $20,000 in cash and in-kind support for the projects. Comcast employees made up around 20% of the volunteer brigade which also included the Colgan High School baseball team, Leadership Prince William Alumni, a girl scout troop, a local softball team, a handful of residents from Birmingham Green and members of Potomac Valley Church. Michael Carter, a Master Plumber and the Plumbing Program teacher at Gar-Field High School even came out and replaced sinks and toilets in four of the bathrooms in the Arc’s Childcare Center in advance of the project day.
Sponsors and supporters for the day included: COMCAST; The members of the LPW Class of 2019; First Light Home Care of Woodbridge; Dominion Energy; Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center; Workgroup Consulting, LLC; Livesay & Meyers PC; Dale City Moose Lodge 2165; Didlake, Inc.; Freddie Mac; American Disposal; MiBox of Northern Virginia; Cardinal Management Group; Bristle & Yi Law; Community Residences, Inc.; Micron Technology; Northern Virginia Community College-Manassas Campus; The Prince William County Police Association, The Bull Run Manassas Kiwanis Club; ImagiNation Learning Center; Mike Garcia Construction and Harris Teeter.
Leadership Prince William credits their partnership with Comcast and the Prince William County Department of Parks & Recreation with the success of this year’s project.
About the Arc of Greater Prince William
The Arc of Greater Prince William is committed to providing opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities to achieve their greatest potential for growth and independence. The Arc offers residential services, The Arc Muriel Humphrey Childcare Center, family support, a recreation program, vocational services and adult day support services.
What is the impact of Comcast Cares Day?
Comcast Cares Day began in 2001 to celebrate Comcast’s commitment to volunteerism. This day mobilizes employees, their families and friends to work alongside community partners and public officials to revitalize, refurbish and beautify communities and neighborhoods. Leadership Prince William partnered with Comcast Cares for the fifth consecutive year to host a day of volunteerism in the Greater Prince William Area.
###
Leadership Prince William is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to inspire and engage adult and youth leaders who want to make a difference in the Greater Prince William Area. Our graduates have undertaken leadership roles in business, government, the non-profit sector and community affairs. We serve Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park.The overall purpose of Leadership Prince William is simple but powerful—to make our community a better place through collaborative leadership. We offer programs for Adult and Youth Leaders. Learn more at www.LeadershipPrinceWilliam.org.