Bright and early in the morning, Comcast employees from across the region converged on the Cramer Hill section of Camden.  More than 90 volunteers came out in force to help beautify Von Neida Park by undertaking various projects.  Once they received their assignments, they fanned out throughout the park to paint over graffiti, collected trash cans for a painting project, pickup trash & debris and prepare a section of the park for a new playground.

Representatives from the Student Leaders Von Neida Park Taskforce of the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School worked with Lauryn Klingler, a Franciscan volunteer, to paint and stencil designs on the parks trash cans, 22 cans in all.  “We are so lucky to have Comcast’s help in cleaning up our park,” one of the student leaders said. “We really want a clean and safe place for us and other kids to play.”

The local Salvation Army Camden Citadel, was represented by Majors Bill and Sue Dunigan and members of the Servant Corp. program of the Army.  Major Sue and her crew planted flower beds throughout the park while Major Bill helped cart tools and paint around the park and painted graffiti on the community center. 

MannyDelgado,Executive Director of Cramer Hill CDC, worked with volunteers and members of the City’s Public Works department to lay the beginnings of a water front trail connecting a Greenways trail that will stretch around the Camden Waterfront and out towards Pennsauken, NJ.

Volunteers enjoyed a lunch of Mexican food supplied by Sierra Juarez Mexican Restaurant, a graduate of LAEDA’s Spanish language entrepreneurship course.  The sights and sounds of the park were enjoyed by numerous groups of volunteers spreading out blankets on the grass for a picnic on a beautiful day.

 “Comcast has been a great community partner for LAEDA and the City of Camden,” said Raymond Lamboy, President & CEO of LAEDA.  “We have worked closely with Comcast to host seven Cares Days. We’ve done everything from beautifying a commercial corridor to planting a community garden to fixing up a little league ball field to cleaning up this park today, Comcast’s contributions to Camden have made such an impact on the community and its people.  Thank you Comcast,” he concluded.

Comcast Cares Day is a national day of volunteerism for Comcast employees.  Thousands of Comcast employees from across the nation volunteer in the communities where they work to contribut to any number of service projects generating hundreds if not thousands of volunteer hours.

The Latin American Economic Development Association, Inc. (LAEDA) is a community economic development organization headquartered in Camden, NJ dedicated to providing business ownership opportunities to low to moderate income minorities in the communities it serves across South Jersey. For more information about LAEDA visit www.laeda.com.