Adelsons' donation will target four critical post-typhoon
recovery needs
MACAO, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adelson
Family Foundation presented a ceremonial cheque for more than
US$1.9 million (approximately MOP
15.4 million) Tuesday to the University of Saint Joseph to assist
its recovery efforts after Typhoon Hato and subsequent storms
caused major damage to its new campus in August and September.
Executives from Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd.
presented the ceremonial cheque to Fr. Peter Stilwell, rector of the University of
Saint Joseph, on behalf of the Adelson Family Foundation and its
founders, Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China
Ltd. Sheldon G. Adelson and Dr.
Miriam Adelson, at the university's
new campus. While there, the executives toured the damaged areas
that will be restored with the help of the Adelson Family
Foundation donation.
"When we heard about the extensive damage to Macao as a result of Typhoon Hato, our hearts
immediately went out to all of the people impacted by it," said the
Adelsons. "We care deeply about the Macao community and wanted to do something to
help in the aftermath of the storm. Hopefully this donation to the
University of Saint Joseph can help speed up the recovery process
and get them fully back to providing all of their educational
services as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing the
results for ourselves during our next trip to Macao."
The basement level of the university's new Green Campus on
Ilha Verde became flooded after the
storm, submerging nearly all its installed and stored equipment
under 3 metres of water. Five days of pumping were required in
order to drain the basement.
The Adelson Family Foundation donation will go toward addressing
four critical areas of need at the university:
Library
The university's library had a large number of books in storage
on the basement level, which was subsequently flooded in its
entirety. As a result, the books -- estimated to be valued at
approximately MOP 16 million -- were tragically and
irrevocably damaged.
The donation from the Adelson Family Foundation will allow the
basement level of the library to undergo a complete redesign to
protect against future natural disasters, including the development
of a new deposit space for the library's collection and an increase
in its electronic resources to compensate for the physical loss of
shelf space and books.
Server room
The storms also damaged the university's server room --
which houses its IT infrastructure -- and knocked out services
such as Internet, phone and closed-circuit TV. The server room will
now be upgraded with a monitoring system to prevent future damage
from severe weather. The system will help identify potential risks,
such as water leakage and fire, and will send alerts so that
pre-emptive work can be carried out to avoid impending damage.
Audio-Visual Studio
Plans were in place to build a basement-level audio-visual
studio for the Digital Cinema Programme of the Faculty of Creative
Industries before the typhoon hit. After the storm, about MOP 7
million worth of audio-visual equipment in storage at the basement
level was completely submerged in flooded water for days, causing
irreparable damage to the equipment. Some equipment was covered by
insurance and by a Macao SAR government subsidy. The Adelson Family
Foundation's donation will support the university to design and
build a new studio in a safe and appropriate location.
Fitness room and recreational corner
The gymnasium space located in the basement of the campus was
completely destroyed after the typhoon. That space may now be
reassigned to better serve the post-typhoon needs of the campus. In
its stead, a fitness room and recreational corner will be built in
Residential Hall to provide fitness and recreational activities for
the university's students
The timing of Typhoon Hato -- in August, just before the
start of the new academic term -- was particularly unfortunate
for the university, which had only recently received its new
Ilha Verde campus in June.
Fr. Stilwell said: "We were all caught off guard by the severity
of the damage inflicted by Typhoon Hato, and did our best to take
it as a challenging way to begin a new term on a new campus. The
immediate interest and timely support from the Adelson Family
Foundation came as an unexpected and heart-warming surprise.
Without it, we would have been hard put to get the damaged
facilities back to working order this academic year. We are deeply
grateful to the Adelsons both for having noticed our plight and for
their rapid and generous support to USJ at such a critical
time."
The MOP 15 million donation by the Adelson Family Foundation
will go a long way toward making the University of Saint Joseph's
new campus fully operational as quickly as possible.
The foundation has made a pledge to donate a total of MOP 35
million in disaster relief funds to Macao in the wake of the destructive 2017
storm season. Including a MOP 30 million donation pledged by Sands
China Ltd., the Adelson Family Foundation and Sands China Ltd. have
committed to a total donation of MOP 65 million to support typhoon
disaster relief in Macao.
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.
Media contacts:
Corporate Communications, Venetian Macau Limited
Mabel Wu
Tel: +853 8118 2268
Email: mabel.wu@sands.com.mo
Josie Ho
Tel: +853 8118 2024
Email: josie.ho@sands.com.mo
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SOURCE Sands China Ltd.