As a responsible corporate citizen, Galaxy Entertainment Group (“GEG”) has always been dedicated to giving back to the local community, and although we are only halfway through 2015, the company and its dedicated employees have already organized a number of heart-warming events to support local charities and bring joy and happiness to society’s underprivileged.
For most of us, Chinese New Year brings lots of joy and festivities, but for some elderly people the holidays can bring feelings of loneliness and social isolation. To show care and respect to the elderly community, in February GEG hosted a New Year Luncheon for nearly 100 elderly members of the Women’s General Association of Macau. In addition to carefully selecting delicious dishes to suit the tastes and dietary requirements of its elderly guests, the company also arranged for its GEG volunteers to celebrate, play interactive games, and distribute festive gifts to the elderly.
Also a part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, GEG collaborated with TONI&GUY and invited 23 elderly members of the Macau Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society to the TONI&GUY Salon at Galaxy Macau™ for complimentary haircuts and pampering services by their professional hairdressers.
Just before the Easter holidays in April, GEG visited the Macau Association of the Parents of the Mentally Handicapped and donated MOP100,000, in support of their ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for people with mental disabilities. GEG volunteers also joined the visit and had a wonderful time helping the association’s members decorate specially-made Easter Bunny cookies and singing songs with them.
In that same month, GEG and Caritas Macau co-organized the “Me and My Galaxy” Inclusive Arts Workshop for people with disabilities, in the East Square of Galaxy Macau. Forty members from five rehabilitation centres under Caritas Macau participated in the event and working with GEG volunteers, created a 6-metre by 2-metre painting that showcased creativity and team spirit.
GEG has been sponsoring the Macau Special Olympics Golf Masters Tournament since 2011. To celebrate the tournament’s 4th edition and extend a warm welcome to the Special Olympic athletes coming from 16 different countries, GEG organized an exclusive movie screening activity at UA Galaxy Cinemas for nearly a hundred Special Olympic athletes.
Another charity that GEG proudly supports is the Macau Holy House of Mercy (SCMM). In June, GEG made a MOP300,000 cash donation to SCMM’s Welfare Shop Programme and arranged volunteers to assist SCMM in distributing food hampers to 340 underprivileged families. Each hamper contained basic food and household items including rice, cooking oil, canned foods and cleaning products.
Taking care of the local community is just one aspect of GEG’s corporate social responsibility. The company is also concerned about doing all it can to conserve energy and protect the environment. As of June this year, properties under GEG collected over 5,000 kg of used bars of soap for recycling and donation to developing countries. The company has also replaced 50,000 florescent light tubes and light bulbs with more energy efficient LEDs and reduced its overall energy consumption by 7 million kW hours. Furthermore, GEG has also demonstrated its commitment to using green technology by obtaining an advanced Hobart Pulper machine that has drastically reduced the volume and size of its food waste by as much as 80 percent.
The past six months have been busy for GEG volunteers, and as 2015 continues, GEG looks forward to reaching out to those in need and supporting Macau in promoting social harmony.