Press Room - Press Releases
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Use
GOLD STRIKE EMPLOYEES DONATE $52,000 TO CHARITIES
IN MEMPHIS AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI
Area donations part of $4.7 million distributed to charities in 2012 by MGM Resorts’ 62,000 employees
Tunica, Miss., Sept. 27, 2012 – Gold Strike Tunica employees raised $51,843 for nonprofit organizations and programs serving Memphis and North Mississippi during the 2012 MGM Resorts Foundation employee-giving campaign.
“All of us, businesses, nonprofits and residents play an integral part in the success of this community,” said MGM Resorts Regional Operations President and Chief Operating Officer George P. Corchis, Jr., “Even in these challenging economic times, Gold Strike employees’ dedication to giving to those in need did not waiver. We’ve had another successful campaign as a result of the culture that exists at Gold Strike and throughout our Company, a culture that emphasizes the importance of giving back to our community.”
The MGM Resorts Foundation provides employees the opportunity to make direct contributions to the charity of their choice or divert a portion of their paycheck to one of the following funding areas:
- United Way of the Mid-South
- Employee Emergency Relief Fund – Provides monies to co-workers experiencing hardships.
- Children’s Medical Support Fund – Provides fellow employees with short-term financial assistance when their child is faced with a severe medical emergency.
- Community Fund – Governed by employees through the Community GrUants Committee (CGC), comprised of employees from a volunteer committee that represent departments from the resort. The CGC committee reviewed the grant proposals from community organizations and determined the Foundation’s grant recipients for the 2012 in the following areas:
– Strengthening Neighborhoods: Donations support programs that foster safe and vital communities where people want to live, work and raise their families. Key areas of investment are revitalization of neighborhoods and self-sufficiency programs.
– Strengthening Children: Provides donation support for early childhood development and strong prevention/ intervention programs which empower children to be successful.
After reviewing the 2012 grant applications, the Community Grant Committee awarded $20,000 to local nonprofits including $10,000 checks to both the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) and Mid-South Food Bank to support their programs.
The $10,000 check for the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) has been awarded for the College Offers Opportunities for Life (COOL) program which provides mentoring, testing professionals and assistance in various areas to students of average academic achievement who are motivated to explore higher education but need one-on-one attention.
“We thank Gold Strike for joining us in this investment in the future and quality of life of our neighborhood youth, “said Sally Jones Heinz, MIFA’s Executive Director. “Our COOL participants who enter college are taking the first critical step towards ending a cycle of intergenerational poverty.”
The Mid-South Food Bank received a $10,000 grant for its Food For Kids Backpack program which gives children who are eligible to receive free or reduced-priced school meals a backpack filled with wholesome food to take home every weekend.
The Gold Strike’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, absorbs all administrative costs for operating and managing the Foundation including the creation and dissemination of the request for proposals for the grant funds and the actual distribution of the monies. As a result, 100 percent of every dollar donated by employees goes directly to the charitable organizations.
Among the Company’s 62,000 employees, more than 47 percent have donated money to the community since 2002 through cash and payroll donations, and Foundation-hosted fundraising events. In its first 10 years, the MGM Resorts Foundation has raised nearly $50 million and supported more than 2,000 charitable organizations in the communities in which it operates in Mississippi, Michigan and Nevada.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Mary Cracchiolo Spain, Gold Strike Public Relations, (228) 547.8473
