Portland Parks & Recreation Receives Corporate Support for Summer Free For All Program

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Summer Free For All kicks off with check presentations from Comcast, Bank of America, other valued sponsors and helps bring Portland families free summer movies, concerts and more !
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Image removed.POSTED JUNE 30, 2016

(Portland, OR) –

Summer Free For All kicks off with check presentations from Comcast, Bank of America, other valued sponsors and helps bring Portland families free summer movies, concerts and more!  

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) celebrated Comcast and Bank of America’s generous philanthropic support of the Summer Free For All (SFFA) program during a check presentation on June 30. 

Marc Farrar of Comcast, which became the 2016 SFFA Title Sponsor after many years of continued support, presented a $40,000 check at PP&R’s Dawson Park, and Bank of America’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, Monique Barton, presented a check for $26,000. Bank of America is now proudly in its third year of support for the SFFA program. Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz, PP&R Director Mike Abbate and Portland Parks Foundation Director Jeff Anderson were all on hand during the celebration.   

These sponsors, as well as the continued support of hundreds of other individuals and companies, provide PP&R with the financial backing necessary to keep the program free and expand access to these wildly popular summer events. Summer Free For All continues to bring the best of culturally relevant movies, music and recreation programs to Portland neighborhoods. 

Free lunches are available through Portland Parks & Recreation at 27 Summer Playgrounds & Lunch sites, and are key to helping close the summer meal gap for low and moderate income school-age children. In Multnomah County alone, nearly 18 percent of families live in poverty and are at risk for food insecurity, poor nutrition and obesity.  

"More than half of Portland’s school children qualify for free or reduced priced lunches,” notes Commissioner Fritz. “So the Summer Free For All makes a real impact on families – thanks to our partners, PP&R will serve more than 100,000 lunches at various sites this summer. Our sponsors’ commitment to the Summer Free For All title sponsorship shows their passion for making our community better and helps deliver dozens of free outdoor movies, concerts, and playground lunch programs to Portlanders.”  

“Comcast is proud to be the title sponsor of the Summer Free For All program,” said Marc Farrar, vice-president of external affairs for Comcast Oregon and Southwest Washington.  “We are pleased to invest in opportunities that enable families to enjoy special programming in Portland’s parks and playgrounds all summer long.”

The uniqueness of the Summer Free For All program stems from its broad base of community support. This year, hundreds of donors — local businesses, community groups, neighborhood associations and individuals — will give generously to a program that is tailored to offer the best of entertainment comprised of both local and regional talent at Portland’s parks. 

In addition to free meals, the Summer Playgrounds & Lunch program features sports, games, crafts and family activities, including PP&R’s mobile rock climbing wall. Aside from nearly 30 Summer Playgrounds & Lunch sites, this year’s SFFA includes 55 Concerts in the Park, 41 Movies in the Park, Free Swim sessions at all of PP&R’s indoor and outdoor pools, the Washington Park Summer Festival and a new Children’s Concert Series at Unthank Park. In neighborhoods without parks, there are 20 Mobile Playground sites (marked with a wheel icon) that bring lunch, recreation and health education where the opportunity is needed.   

“Our mission is ‘Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland’,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Director Mike Abbaté.  “The Summer Free For All is a wonderful way many people first engage with Portland Parks & Recreation programs. Partners like Comcast, Bank of America, the Portland Parks Foundation and local school districts help make these connections possible by continuing to invest in Summer Free For All. This support leads to a lifetime of healthier, happier people of all ages, as well as a united community.”  

“Our ongoing commitment to the Summer Free For All program is important to us since it’s addressing the basic needs of local kids and families,” said Monique Barton, Bank of America’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “Coming together as a community to fight hunger and effectively address summer food insecurity among school-age children is a very worthy cause, and one we are proud to be a part of.” 

Summer Free For All schedules are posted on the PP&R website. A new addition this year in order to better serve Portland’s diverse community, PP&R is offering the Summer Free For All schedule in nine different languages: Arabic, Burmese, English, simplified Chinese, Nepalese, Russian, Spanish, Somalian and Vietnamese. 

Stay up to date and follow Portland Parks & Recreation on both Facebook.com/PortlandParks and on Twitter @PDXParksandRec.

About Comcast Corporation
Building on a multi-year partnership, Comcast is the Title Sponsor for Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) 2016 Summer Free For All program. Support from Comcast, the information and entertainment provider to the most homes in Portland, will help PP&R deliver the popular, free summer program series to an audience that topped 320,000 attendees in 2015.  

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit http://www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. 

About Bank of America Environmental, Social and Governance 
At Bank of America, we are focused on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors as critical to fulfilling our core purpose of making people’s financial lives better. A commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company, from our policies and practices to our services, products, governance and employee benefits. An important part of that commitment is forming strong partnerships across sectors, including nonprofit organizations serving community needs, bringing our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. We’re proud of our employees’ volunteer efforts, support of diversity and inclusion, and environmental and social responsibility. Across our company, we’re focused on simplifying banking and investing, advancing better money habits and making an impact in communities around the world. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_News

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