Pinnacle Entertainment Foundation Donates $80,000 to National Hurricane Museum & Science Center
21 September 2012 - 1:42AM
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. and L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake
Charles today announced an $80,000 donation to the National
Hurricane Museum & Science Center (NHMSC) via the Pinnacle
Entertainment Foundation. This large early pledge to the project,
slated for the lakefront in downtown Lake Charles, is earmarked to
develop a first of its kind national education initiative.
The National Hurricane Museum & Science Center, as its name
suggests, is part museum and part educational center offering
interactive and immersive learning experiences to explore the
science and impacts of hurricanes. Pinnacle's donation will fund
the work of McNeese State University's Burton School of Education
to create and promote programs and lesson plans to school systems
and educators across the country to inform and inspire students
even before the center itself is built.
"We are proud to call Lake Charles home and this donation and
early partnership with the National Hurricane Museum reinforces our
commitment to making our community a diversified tourist
destination," said Geno M. Iafrate, Executive Vice President of
Regional Operations for Pinnacle. "What makes this initiative even
more exciting is that it will come from collaboration with expert
educators at McNeese State University and will have immediate
impact while eventually inspiring learning across the entire
country."
"This donation is a significant part of our continued commitment
to create a rewarding place for our team members to work in a
community we have pledged to support and uplift in ways that make
our team proud to call it home," said Keith W. Henson, Senior Vice
President and General Manager of L'Auberge Lake Charles. He adds,
"Just as our properties offer a memorable place for visitors to
play, this partnership will ultimately boost tourism in Southwest
Louisiana and improve quality of life for our 2,200+ team
members."
"Pinnacle has demonstrated time and time again they are
significantly invested in the region and this early show of support
to NHMSC will fuel our commitment to move forward with the project
but also to begin instructing a nation of students about hurricanes
and their aftereffects, beginning today," said Gray Stream, NHMSC
Board Chairman. "This gift from the Pinnacle Entertainment
Foundation is really an investment in education and enables the
NHMSC to reach millions of students with important lessons they can
study in their classrooms all across America."
The $80,000 contribution comes on the heels of Pinnacle donating
four acres of lakefront property to the City of Lake Charles with a
fair market value of $3.2-million, a $20,000 contribution to
rebuild Millennium Park in downtown Lake Charles and hundreds of
thousands of dollars in sustained charitable initiatives across the
region. L'Auberge Casino Resort is the largest private employer in
Calcasieu Parish and Pinnacle Entertainment now employs more than
5,000 team members statewide.
The NHMSC is expected to attract 220,000 visitors to Southwest
Louisiana each year and have a $55-million total annual economic
impact. Visitors to www.nhmsc.com can learn more about the
$65-million facility and preview exhibits planned for the museum
and science center. The website also features information on the
origins and background of the project and videos of the iconic
building design.
About Pinnacle Entertainment
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates seven casinos,
located in Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana, and a racetrack in
Ohio. In addition, Pinnacle holds a 26% ownership stake in Asian
Coast Development (Canada) Ltd. (ACDL), an international
development and real estate company currently developing Vietnam's
first large-scale integrated resort on the Ho Tram Strip.
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PNK. To learn more
about Pinnacle Entertainment, please visit www.pnkinc.com.
The Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13121
About The Pinnacle Entertainment Foundation
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. has built its success on a
foundation of community involvement and support. Through our highly
visible foundation, we are proud to lend a helping hand in the
communities where our team members live and work by donating our
time, talent and treasure to worthy causes. Founded in 2010, The
Pinnacle Entertainment Foundation welcomes all applications by
financially stable, well-managed organizations that are tax-exempt
under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue
Code. Applications are accepted at
www.pnkinc.com/pinnacle-entertainment-foundation.
The Pinnacle Entertainment Foundation logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14794
About NHMSC
The National Hurricane Museum & Science Center (a 501c-3
non-profit), as its name suggests, is a hybrid organization:
part museum because it will chronicle the history and social
meanings of hurricanes through collections and archives; and part
science center because it will use interactive and immersive
educational experiences to explore the science and impacts of
hurricanes as powerful forces of nature. To be located on the
waterfront of Lake Charles, Louisiana, this center will be an
irresistible destination for the entire Gulf region. Utilizing the
science of hurricanes, the NHMSC will work with K-12 schools to
stimulate the learning of basic math and science. Through practical
and engaging education, the NHMSC will tell the natural and social
story of hurricanes and the wetlands environment while delivering
memorable experiences to thousands of visitors. For more
information visit www.nhmsc.com.
CONTACT: Pinnacle Entertainment
Kerry Andersen
Director, Media Relations & Public Affairs
337/292-0725 or kandersen@pnkmail.com
NHMSC
Jill Kidder
Project Coordinator
225/803-7033, jill.kidder@nhmsc.com
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