Comcast Leaders and Achievers^® Scholarship Program Recognizes

Connecticut Students for their Academic Achievement and Community Service

HARTFORD, CT –July 19, 2012– The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives, recently awarded 45 Connecticut high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers^® Scholarship Program.  The program, one of the Comcast Foundation’s signature community investment programs, recognizes students’ leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

Comcast, joined by Secretary of State Denise Merrill, State Senators Steve Cassano, Joseph Crisco, Len Fasano, Rob Kane, Joe Markley and Kevin Witkos, and State Representatives Brian Becker, James Crawford, Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey, Matthew Lesser, Douglas McCrory, Rob Sampson, Pamela Sawyer and Diana Urban, recently recognized the students at a special event held at the Connecticut State Capitol.  Forty-four of the 2012 Connecticut Leaders and Achievers recipients received $1,000 scholarships and Alex Cannata of Haddam-Killingworth High School was awarded a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship - instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation - for a total of $54,000 awarded in Connecticut this year.

"I would like to congratulate all of the scholarship winners and thank the Comcast Foundation for recognizing the achievements of some of our state's brightest young minds," said Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor.  "I encourage our winners to continue to engage both academics and civic involvement with the enthusiasm they have demonstrated to this point in their academic career."

“Comcast has a vested interest in providing our youth with opportunities to excel and succeed in a highly competitive higher education landscape and job market,” said Mary McLaughlin, Senior Vice President for Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut.  “We commend these students for their outstanding achievements, and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides one-time $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students.  The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to be prepared for the future, to engage youth in their communities, and to demonstrate the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

This year’s Connecticut winners were among nearly 2,000 high school seniors across the U.S. that were awarded approximately $2 million in scholarships.  Since the inception of the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Program in 2000, $17.4 million has been awarded to approximately 17,000 deserving students to use toward their pursuit of a higher education.