via Eagle Tribune
On Saturday, May 4, more than 700 community members showed up to be part of one of the biggest volunteer event of the year, the 10th annual Groundwork/Comcast Cares Day.
A joint effort between Groundwork Lawrence, Comcast, and the city of Lawrence, 23 sites across the city had volunteers working to make change happen.
Although the day started gray and drizzly, folks gathered at the Campagnone Common at 8 a.m. ready to work. The event kicked off with an address from Groundwork Lawrence Deputy Director Lesly Melendez and NBC10’s Matt Noyes.
Also on the stage were Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, state Sen. Barry Finegold, Lawrence City Councilor Jeovanny A. Rodriguez, NBC Boston President and GM Michael St. Pierre, Paul D’Arcangelo, Comcast senior vice president of customer operations, and Groundwork Lawrence executive director Heather McMann.
Since its first iteration in 2009 when Melendez, then staff at Comcast, brought the two organizations together with the idea of a large volunteer event, Groundwork/Comcast Cares Day has grown from 400 people building garden beds at the Bashara Boathouse and cleaning various parks in Lawrence to, collectively, more than 7,700 volunteers that have worked over 225 sites, building 40 raised garden beds, planting over 600 trees, and collecting over 220 tons of trash.
"Celebrating 10 years of collaboration and impact makes this one of our best volunteer events to-date," McMann said, "After the colossal challenge in the aftermath of the natural gas disaster and our subsequent canceling of the Spicket River cleanup, the success of this year's Comcast Cares Day demonstrates the resiliency of our community, the strength of long-term investments in our city, and the capacity for change that excellent corporate citizens like Comcast have. Groundwork Lawrence is proud to stand alongside Comcast as we beautify our open spaces, parks, and playgrounds."