News | November 19, 2020
The events of 2020 have sparked a deeper societal conversation about the impact of systemic racism in the United States. This conversation occurred at Sands, as well, starting internally with our Team Members and blossoming into an enhanced effort to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for all, including expanding our investments in and partnerships with community organizations dedicated to diversity.
Beginning in June, Sands’ leadership team conducted a series of town halls, surveys and focus groups to engage Team Members in dialogue about what the company is currently doing to promote DEI issues and, more importantly, what our next steps should be. “Sands has always maintained DEI policies and practices, and we’ve invested in organizations that empower diverse groups in our community,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs and chair of Sands’ DEI Council. “But, on the heels of the race-related events of this year, we knew it was time to do more.”
Following these efforts, the company’s DEI Council began developing a roadmap to study, plan and implement new actions to address today’s needs and viewpoints. With an overall commitment to removing barriers internally and externally, one of the key areas in the approach was assessing how the company could better make impact in addressing systemic racism in the community as a whole.
On November 19, Sands announced an additional $400,000 investment in community organizations working to empower minority and ethnically diverse groups through Sands Cares, the company’s community engagement and charitable giving program.
The company’s diversity community engagement strategy centers around removing systemic racism barriers through two focus areas:
As part of this commitment, Sands Cares is contributing $250,000 to Nevada Partners for youth empowerment programs in the West Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood. The company also is contributing $100,000 to 100 Black Men of Las Vegas for youth mentoring programs and the organization’s COVID-19 Community Personal Protective Equipment program. The full slate of partnerships includes the following organizations: