Every day is Flag Day for members of Comcast’s Veterans Network (VetNet) Employee Resource Group, which supports military-connected employees and supporters through professional development, community service and mentorship.
But this past Flag Day – June 14 – was extra special as members of Freedom Regions VetNet gathered at the Delaware County Veterans Memorial (DCVM) in Delaware County to ceremoniously retire more than 150 American Flags collected through Freedom’s VetNet Flag Program.
The year-round program was inspired by one local employee, a Navy Veteran. The mission was simple, but the impact has been great: Replace worn American Flags in the community with new ones, free of charge, regardless of whether they are Comcast customers. VetNet employees quickly raised their hands to volunteer as Flag Ambassadors, and the program grew.
Since 2017, Freedom Region’s VetNet Flag Program has replaced nearly 700 flags across northern Delaware, Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey. The flags are replaced for local residents, nonprofits and small businesses.
Even during the pandemic, Flag Ambassadors found a way to continue replacing flags in the community while maintaining social distancing and safety. Once a flag is no longer fitting for display, it should be ceremoniously retired, and this year we were honored to partner with DCVM to host a Flag Retirement Ceremony on Flag Day.
“Even in imminent retirement, these flags are doing their job. We’re together, connected through sacred tradition that binds us as a nation,” said Carol Eggert, senior vice president of Military & Veterans Affairs at Comcast, during the retirement ceremony. Eggert has supported this grassroots program from day one. With this support, the program has spread to Comcast VetNet teams across the country!
And come together we did. In addition to Eggert and the DCVM, the ceremony featured the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard; South Coatesville Police Chief Kevin Pierce singing the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem; The Marine Corps League and other special guests including the Newtown Square Fire Department.
Guests enjoyed Maggie Moos ice cream courtesy of Freedom’s VetNet following the ceremony, with 15% of proceeds being donated back to DCVM. Comcast also donated $1,000 to DCVM to continue their work of honoring fallen armed forces members from Delaware County, as well as their youth educational programs.
Comcast NBCUniversal is a proud military-ready company. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for military-connected employees, meeting the needs of our military customers, and empowering community organizations that work to improve the lives and welfare of veterans, service members and military families.
This includes everything from military hiring initiatives, supporting hundreds of military community organizations by donating $191 million in cash and in-kind contributions since 2011 and advancing digital equity by expanding eligibility of our low-cost, high-speed Internet Essentials program to low-income veterans in our service areas across the country. Today, Comcast is proud to participate in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides eligible low-income households a credit up to $30 a month toward the cost of Internet service – a credit that can be applied to any tier of Xfinity Internet, including Internet Essentials – removing cost as a barrier to Internet adoption.
Check out a gallery from the event below:
