A group of around 60 children and parents from the Association for the Parents of the Mentally Handicapped celebrated the upcoming Mother’s Day with close to 40 Sands China Care Ambassadors, visiting Ice World together at The Venetian® Macao. An initiative of Sands Cares, Sands China’s celebration of the holiday also includes the handing out of flowers and a donation to the association.
In addition to the visit to Ice World, the Care Ambassadors also helped the association’s children present flowers to their parents in honour of the holiday, compliments of the company’s in-house floral department. In addition, Sands China has purchased handmade flowers made by members of the association to give to female diners at selected Sands China restaurants on Mother’s Day – a tradition at Sands China since 2012.
This Sunday, the handmade flowers will be handed out during dinner hours at Copa Steakhouse and during lunch and dinner hours at Golden Court at Sands Macao; during lunch and dinner hours at Portofino, Bambu, North, and Canton at The Venetian Macao; during lunch and dinner hours at Sands Cotai Central at Grand Orbit, Dynasty 8 and Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central’s Lobby Lounge; and during lunch and dinner hours at Lotus Palace and Brasserie at The Parisian Macao.
Sands China is also donating MOP$150,000 to the association May 10 at a press conference announcing the association’s annual flag sale. Sands China has been a financial supporter of the work of the association since 2005.
“Sands China has been a steady supporter of our organisation, and we appreciate their commitment to improving the quality of life for Macao’s mentally handicapped and their families,” said Ruby Lo, director general of the Association for the Parents of the Mentally Handicapped.
“Activities like this visit to Ice World are great for our members – the kids enjoy it so much, and the parents really love seeing the excitement in their eyes. It’s a great bonding experience for them and we always look forward to the next activity with the Care Ambassadors.”
Sands China’s efforts in the local community are part of Sands Cares, the corporate giving programme of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp. Sands Cares integrates the company’s philanthropic work worldwide, including financial giving, team member volunteerism and in-kind support. The Sands Cares programme seeks to make an impact on its team members and those working in the hospitality industry, the communities where the company operates, and the planet.
Since 2009, Sands China has organised community activities for children throughout the year to provide them with fun and excitement, creating joyful interactions between parents and children to help foster healthy and close-knit family relationships. This community event with families from the Association for the Parents of the Mentally Handicapped is one of the ways Sands China reaches out to the local community through Sands Cares, bringing fun and warmth to families with special needs.
The Sands China Care Ambassador programme aims to give Sands China employees an opportunity to serve the local community by organising community activities and initiatives that work toward creating a better Macao. With a current membership of more than 1,500 volunteers from across all Sands China properties – Sands Macao, The Venetian Macao, The Plaza Macao, Sands Cotai Central and The Parisian Macao – the Sands China Care Ambassadors have contributed more than 10,000 hours of voluntary community service in over 100 activities since the programme was founded in August 2009. Sands China Ltd. considers the activities of the Care Ambassador programme as central to its commitment toward social causes and community involvement as part of the Sands Cares programme.