Marcos Vicente, Vice President of Finance and Business Operations at Comcast California still remembers the day he received his first bike as a little boy back in his hometown in Brazil. “It felt so special. I felt like I was part of the community,” he said.
Last month, Comcast employees, including Marcos, built and delivered 40 bikes as part of the employee volunteer program Team Up. These bikes were delivered to members of the Corazón Healdsburg, a non-profit organization in Northern California. The delivery came just in time to provide a form of entertainment and transportation for kids and youth this summer.
The community event included food from Jorge Flores Head Chef at Costeaux Bakery, and former Board Member of Corazón Healdsburg. Comcast employees distributed the bikes and engaged with the youth and their families on a day full of smiles and celebration.
Corazon Healdsburg serves a diverse population living in rural and suburban areas where some do not have internet access at all, many are from the farmworker community. The communities they support, are low-income, monolingual Spanish speakers, that often do not have access to technology, or the skills needed to effectively use a laptop, computer, tablet or smart phone device. As an organization, they see clients facing many challenges that limit their ability to receive important benefits, search for adequate housing, seek career opportunities, pursue an education, or participate in civic engagement conversations.
Comcast is proud to partner with Corazon Healdsburg to empower children and families and help close the digital divide. In December of 2023 when the organization was facing financial hardship, Comcast donated $45,000 and 100 free laptops to Corazon Healdsburg to help ensure individuals and families in the area are connected to the digital skills needed for success at home, in school, and beyond.
“We hope the families that are receiving these bikes, just like the literacy classes and the computers they received from Comcast last year, help close the digital divide and crates access so that they are engaged in a different way that brings the community together,” said Marcy Flores, Executive Director, Corazón Healdsburg.
“From the community, I’ve heard we are together. I want to say, juntos somos mas (together we are more!)
