City Year, Inc. Expands Partnership with Comcast Valued At More Than $27 Million

Collaborative Partnership Includes Leadership Development and Media Sponsorship with In-Kind and Financial Support Over Three Years
Boston, PA .- At the opening ceremonies for its three-day annual convention of idealism, City Year unveiled an expansion of its long-time partnership with Comcast, announcing that the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications has pledged cross-channel advertising and financial support for City Year totaling $27 million over the next three years. Comcast has had two previous agreements with City Year over the past five years with a total value of $30 million. This expanded agreement will encourage young people to commit to volunteer service by increasing awareness of City Year’s mission and investing in leadership training for City Year corps members and staff.

“Comcast is a tremendous corporate citizen. Its investment in City Year is making it possible for young people to provide vitally needed services to children in schools and communities nationwide. Further, Comcast’s multi-million dollar national public service campaign will call on America’s young people to ‘give a year’ and ‘change the world’ as City Year corps members,” said Michael Brown, City Year CEO and Co-Founder. “We are deeply grateful for Comcast’s tremendous commitment to City Year, to America’s communities and to tapping the power of idealism in the nation’s youth.”

“City Year and Comcast share a strong commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and motivating young people to achieve their full potential,” said David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation and a member of City Year’s National Board. “By enabling our youth to be more responsible citizens today, and more effective leaders for the future, City Year is making a positive difference in communities across the country – and we are proud to partner with them to promote volunteerism, diversity and youth leadership development.”

Comcast’s commitment will provide $3 million in direct financial support to City Year, expanding the company’s sponsorship of City Year teams to six sites across the country, including teams in Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and the organization’s newest site in Miami, which is expected to launch in the fall of 2008. Each team consists of corps members, ranging in age from 17 to 24, who dedicate a year of service to help students succeed through tutoring, mentoring, after-school programs and an array of initiatives. Since City Year was founded in 1988, corps members have provided nearly 16 million hours of service, helping more than 1 million children.

Beyond the team sponsorships, Comcast’s support will provide training and leadership development opportunities for City Year corps members and staff, including City Year’s Summer Academy, an intense leadership training session for staff and senior corps members. The funding will also enable key events and initiatives, such as cyzygy, City Year’s annual convention of idealism, which attracts over 1,500 corps members, staff and alumni each year; and Voices for National Service, a City Year-led coalition that advocates for national service among policy makers.

In addition, Comcast will boost its in-kind commitment to City Year, providing a robust schedule of free airtime of public service announcements – featuring City Year’s new “give a year. change the world.” tagline – that will provide visibility for City Year’s programs and mission in Comcast markets across the country. This promotional support will continue to help heighten public awareness of City Year and its dedicated corps members, informing young people nationwide about the opportunity to serve and grow through the organization.

Other joint activities of the partnership include City Year corps members serving alongside Comcast employees and their family members at Comcast Cares Day, the company’s national day of service, along with the commitment of senior Comcast executives to serve on City Year’s local boards.