University Place Resident Helps Bring Sense of Comfort in Tacoma

As our country recognizes Veterans Day and continues to celebrate National Veterans and Military Families Month this November, we should recognize those who swore an oath to defend our nation. So far, nearly 50,000 National Guard and reserve service members have been mobilized to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are more than two dozen Comcast NBCUniversal employees who have been called up to complete thousands of missions such as manning testing and screening centers, delivering food and essential equipment to those in need, and building critical infrastructure.

Military service members also help bring a sense of comfort to communities as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. This part of the military’s mission fits perfectly for University Place resident Deeva Williams. As a retail sales representative at the Xfinity store in Tacoma, and specialist in the Washington Army National Guard, Deeva and her unit are supporting mobile food distribution sites throughout the South Sound. “It feels humbling and amazing to be able to see the smiles and the sigh of relief on people’s faces when you take away some stress during a time like this,” Williams said.

A brief video profiling University Place resident Deeva Williams is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqZ9NrRNUbs]

Williams credits the U.S. Army for strengthening her work discipline after joining three years ago to create a better life for her and her younger brother. Along with her self-described “bubbly” personality, Williams said she values being able to work directly with customers and her Xfinity retail colleagues. “My store has remained open during all of this and my teammates are working hard to support customers,” Williams said. “We constantly text each other while we’re both serving our community in different ways.”

Employees like Deeva embody Comcast’s values in action and how the company’s employees continue to step up and do more, especially in times of trouble. We are proud of the military community helping to fight against COVID-19. As a military-ready company, we are committed to ensuring that our military teammates have the resources and support they need to answer the call to service.

Whether it’s for disaster relief, helping to provide security and safety or other events that prompt calls for National Guard assistance, Comcast provides support and care to help make the transition from civilian to service member overnight.

In 2016, the company established a Military Concierge Service team that acts as a central resource for employees and their supervisors to help balance working for Comcast NBCUniversal while serving in the National Guard. This team provides administrative support and knowledge about the company’s Military Policies and Benefits, including offering paid leave for military duty, a military pay supplement, and continued health benefits for employees and their families.