A Spanish Fork elementary school will be the latest beneficiary of the national Comcast Cares Day today.

Ray Child, public relations director for Comcast, said 2,300 volunteers will be working at Brockbank and nine other elementary schools around the state for at least 13,800 total hours of work with various projects. Child said the company has been doing the national volunteer day for seven years, and schools have been chosen as the beneficiary in Utah because of the company's commitment to education.

"Ever since our founding, we've believed in investing in the communities we serve," he said.

Most schools that receive the assistance meet the federal financial need requirements to be a Title 1 school, with many students qualifying for free lunches. However, Child said the focus is on helping out needy kids, even if the school is not technically Title 1.

"There are a lot of schools that we can help, but we want to make sure we're helping kids in need," he said.

At Brockbank Elementary, Child said volunteers will be cleaning, gardening and doing other jobs from 8 a.m. until noon, and benches will be installed, which Comcast employees built on their own time. Alison Hansen, principal of Brockbank Elementary, said the school is a good school, and the volunteer work will help make it a great school. About 100 local residents have volunteered to help out, including many students.

"I think it will be a really positive influence [on students]," she said. "It helps create ownership and makes them feel a part of it."

Schools are often wary of a company wanting to help, but once they see the end product, they are pleased with the community effort. Child said the company has received a lot of positive feedback from schools, and teachers often have their children send thank you cards.

"There was one year when we filled an entire wall with artwork from elementary kids saying, 'Thank you,' " he said.

The Comcast Cares Day has benefitted several Utah County schools, including Orem's Geneva Elementary in 2005.

Janette Strong, who was principal of Geneva Elementary in 2005, said the cleanup and painting projects at the school made a big difference.

"They did a little bit of everything," she said. "They did a lot of everything."

The school had the responsibility of recruiting community volunteers, which Strong said helped people to feel responsible for the project. Many students and parents were involved in the work, and the kids were pleased with what they accomplished.

"They were very proud," she said. "They got their picture taken and they got T-shirts. They were very proud of themselves."

Strong said she believes having a clean and orderly learning environment helps kids feel more welcome. The students have a whole new attitude about school when it looks like a pleasant place.

"It makes it more inviting," she said. "It appears to be a more positive place. It's more enticing to be there."

Sherilyn Kent, volunteer coordinator for the Utah State Developmental Center in American Fork, said volunteers help to clean the building twice a year. When Comcast Cares Day came in 2004, she said the number of volunteers was doubled. Kent said more was accomplished than she thought was possible, and residents were greatly impacted by the service.

"It cheers them up and makes it really nice," she said. "They can enjoy the grounds and not worry about weeds in the yard or the garden area."

Child said it is exciting to be able to create a more enticing learning environment for children, and he enjoys seeing young kids working to make their school beautiful. About twice as many volunteers will be participating this year, and more people want to help every day.

"This is something we really believe in," he said. "In my opinion, it's such a satisfying feeling when it's all done and everybody helped out."