Festive Fleet Gives Special Gift to Man With Spina Bifida

It’s the spirit of giving that makes this season so special. In Connecticut, one cable company is connecting people to more to more than just TV and the internet. 

Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal, which owns NBC Connecticut, launched its “Festive Fleet” program nationwide this year. Around 500 of the technicians and support staff came together across the country to surprise thousands of deserving customers with a special holiday “thank you.” 

Jose Diaz was one of the customers picked to receive a special gift. He has spent most of his life in Hartford and most of those 45 years bound to a wheelchair, suffering from Spina Bifida. 

“I'm always watching TV. I'm mostly in the house,” Diaz said. 

“The TV he had previous was older, breaking down and he needed an upgrade,” said Nicolas Correa, a Comcast technician. 

Correa and his technical supervisor, Joselin Nieves, decided they could help Diaz by nominating him for Comcast’s “Festive Fleet.” They wrote an essay outlining Diaz’s story, saying he fit the criteria of a loyal customer who also had a fixed income and was in need of a new device. 

“He was thinking we're coming here to work … ‘What's going on? Fix my cable.’ So he was in the dark about the gift that was coming his way,” Nieves said. 

“To my surprise, it was a TV!,” Diaz said. 

The team surprised him with a new 42-inch smart TV. 

“Thank you very much. Thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Diaz said. 

Diaz wasn't the only person surprised. In Connecticut alone, Comcast gave out 10 TVs to deserving customers along with other electronics and gift cards. 

Across the country thousands of customers were nominated by technicians because of need, budget and commitment to the company. 

“I would hope we do this every year going forward. It's all part of our customer experience initiative, letting people know that we do care. They are more than customers and we play a role in people's lives on a daily basis. We connect people to the world and they deserve the best service possible,” Correa said. 

“For me, it's special because I am giving back to the customers that we serve on a daily basis and it's more than just serving our customers, it's serving our community. I felt good, it warmed my heart to give him that TV,” Nieves said. 

Diaz already has a direct line to call Correa and Nieves in case he needs help. Now he has smart TV technology, a voice-command remote control and so much more. He is connected to cable and to kindness. 

“There are a lot of great people out there that are willing to help others,” said Diaz. 

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