MACAO, Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New service vehicles donated by Sands China Ltd. to four Macao non-governmental organisations have arrived in Macao. The relief aid is part of Sands China's long-term support to the community in the aftermath of last year's Typhoon Hato.
A vehicle donation ceremony was held Thursday at The Venetian® Macao, during which Sands China presented ceremonial vehicle keys to representatives of the four NGOs: Caritas Macau, Macau Special Olympics, the Association of Parents of the People with Intellectual Disabilities of Macau, and the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM).
The donation of nine vehicles includes buses, 7-seaters vans and other vehicles, with some modified for reduced mobility users. Beneficiaries of the services provided by these vehicles include the elderly, and the physically or mentally disabled. Six of the nine vehicles are ready for immediate service, while the remaining three will be ready at a later date.
"Sands China is pleased to be able to offer long-term support to the community as it continues to recover from Typhoon Hato," said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. "The delivery of these new service vehicles is the culmination of our efforts to keep the operations and services of these local NGOs running smoothly, after having provided ongoing transportation assistance after the storm. Our company is grateful to the Macao government for its continued support and coordination in this and the many other post-Hato recovery efforts throughout the community."
Sands China's post-typhoon transportation assistance to the NGOs has included providing vans and drivers to support organisations like Caritas Macau and its Good Take Express service, until the new vehicles could be donated to replace those damaged in the storm. This type of post-typhoon transportation assistance has totalled nearly MOP 4 million, and comprised over 6,400 trips made over the last year. The donation of the nine new vehicles totals a tax-exempt MOP 4 million, bringing the company's total post-Hato transportation support to around MOP 8 million.
Thursday's ceremony was attended by Zhao Kuiwei, Deputy Director of Social Work Department of the Central People's Government Liaison Office in Macau; Anthony Leong, Deputy Director of Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau; Choi Pui Ieng, Acting Head of Professional Development and Planning Division for Social Welfare Bureau and Dr. Wong.
Sands China has been working with the community to provide continuous support to areas in need since the typhoon. In addition to transportation, this has included technical support, SME support, restoration of damaged homes in Coloane, clearing out debris, and the establishment of an education fund for children and young adults who lost a parent to the storm.
Last August, the company pledged to donate a total of MOP 65 million for typhoon disaster relief in Macao -- MOP 30 million from Sands China Ltd., plus an additional MOP 35 million from the Adelson Family Foundation. Approximately MOP 15 million of that has been allocated to the University of Saint Joseph to assist in repairing its storm-damaged campus. Another MOP 2 million helped repair Macau Holy House of Mercy's elderly home, which had suffered extensive damage, including major structural damage to its roof.
The company also provided disaster relief in Macao before and after Typhoon Mangkhut hit the city Sept. 16. Assistance efforts are ongoing, and have included visiting elderly and disabled members of the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme and offering household repairs, delivering meal boxes to an elderly centre, providing parking spaces as storm shelters for vehicles of several local NGOs, and clean-up work at Hac Sa Beach.
Sands China's disaster relief efforts are part of Sands Cares, the global corporate citizenship programme of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp.
About Sands China Ltd.
Sands China Ltd. (HKEx: 1928, Sands China or the Company) is a Cayman Islands registered company and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Sands China is the largest operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio is comprised of The Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao, Sands® Cotai Central and The Parisian Macao. The Company also owns and operates Sands® Macao on the Macao peninsula. The Company's integrated resorts contain a diversified mix of leisure and business attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping malls; world-class entertainment at the Cotai Arena, The Venetian Theatre, The Parisian Theatre and the Sands Cotai Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio has the goal of contributing to Macao's transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS).
For more information, please visit www.sandschinaltd.com.
Sands Cares
A firm believer in the importance of corporate social responsibility, Sands China Ltd. engages with the local Macao community as a part of Sands Cares – the charitable giving programme of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp. Sands Cares integrates the company's philanthropic work worldwide in four key areas: financial giving, community problem solving and collaboration, in-kind donations, and team member volunteerism.
Key areas of Sands Cares in Macao include the Sands Cares Ambassador programme for volunteering in the local community; charitable contributions to NGOs and community organisations; and sponsorship of community events.
For more information, please visit www.sands.com/sands-cares/our-commitment.html.
Media contacts:
Corporate Communications, Venetian Macau Limited
Simpson Lei
Tel: +853-8118-2054
Email: simpson.lei@sands.com.mo
Ester Leong
Tel: +853-8118-2105
Email: ester.leong@sands.com.mo
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