A half-dozen Comcast employees moved about the grounds of DeGrazia Elementary School Saturday, readying the place for Comcast Cares Day.
It was a far cry from what the scene will likely be Saturday, as more than 100 local Comcast employees and families and friends of the school at 5051 W. Overton Road are expected to descend on the campus for a variety of improvement projects.
Volunteers will rebuild a shade structure over the kindergarten sandbox, remove overgrown cactus around the school parking area, paint classroom doors and window frames, pour concrete tetherball pads and do landscape work.
Organizers will begin gathering volunteers at 7:30 a.m. with plans to begin work at 8 a.m. and hopes of finishing by 2 p.m., said Kelle Maslyn, a Comcast spokeswoman.
Kids are welcome, and lunch will be provided by Carrabba's Italian Grill, she said.
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Project leader Cliff Salmond, a construction supervisor for Comcast, spent last Saturday morning overseeing the destruction and removal of the kindergartners' old shade structure while three of the guys he usually works with helped pour concrete to set up the posts for the new structure.
The old shade structure was made of tin, was dented and had holes in it, he said.
It let rainwater through to the sandbox, and its posts were within the borders of the sandbox.
The new shade structure will be made of plywood with asphalt shingles, and the posts extend beyond the borders of the sandbox for added play space as well as sun protection.
"It'll last 50 years, maybe longer," Salmond said.
He got a feel for what it will mean to the children when he visited the school earlier in the week to scope out the project area. The kids playing in the yard wanted to know what he was doing there and got excited when they found out, he said.
DeGrazia has had an ongoing relationship with Comcast for the past three years or so, Maslyn said. They first connected as part of the Marana Chamber of Commerce's "Adopt a School" program.
The chamber offered a list of schools that wanted adoption.
"We picked DeGrazia because it is close to our office, and we knew we could come over here frequently to help with whatever they need help with," Maslyn said.
The company has provided teaching supplies and field day equipment and co-hosted a food drive last fall for the Marana Community Food Bank. Comcast donated $1 to the food bank for every pound of food the children brought in.
It's been a good partnership for which the school community has been very grateful, said DeGrazia principal Steve Poling.
Piggybacking on Comcast Cares Day, a former DeGrazia student is returning to help and to carry out part of his Eagle Scout project there, Poling said.
"It's neat when a business like Comcast is willing to give to a local school, and it's neat to see parents and students and staff join in that," Poling said. "It's humbling that Comcast wants to spend all that time and money."
IF YOU GO
What: Comcast Cares Day to improve the grounds of DeGrazia Elementary School.
When: 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Where: DeGrazia Elementary School, 5051 W. Overton Road.
Contact reporter Shelley Shelton at sshelton@azstarnet.com or 807-8464.
