Uni+ed Team Member Resource Group for the LGBTQ+ Community Doubles Down on Service in 2025

Motivated by strong member interest in volunteering for Southern Nevada service organizations, the Uni+ed resource group for LGBTQ+ Team Members and allies ramped up community engagement efforts this year with volunteer activations for local nonprofit organizations as well as a new initiative at corporate headquarters.

In June, Uni+ed spearheaded creation of the Summer Barbecue and Community Involvement Fair at Sands’ corporate campus and worked with the EmpowHER Team Member resource group for women and Sands Cares committee to host 14 community organizations.

Participants included 100 Black Men Las Vegas, Aid for AIDS in Nevada, Dress for Success Southern Nevada, East Valley Family Services, Helping Hands of Vegas Valley, Opportunity Village, Project 150, Shine A Light Foundation, Spread the Word Nevada, The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada, The Just One Project, Three Square, the Vitalant Las Vegas Blood Donation Center and the Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

A first for the corporate campus, the fair enabled corporate Team Members to learn about and connect with community organizations and attracted high attendance and strong interaction among participants.

“This year, we decided to put a lot of our energies toward community engagement, as that has been a consistent passion for Uni+ed members,” Christopher Melton, senior vice president of global premium account management and executive sponsor for Uni+ed, said. “I was so elated at the success of our community involvement fair. It felt like everyone in the building was there, and people were learning so much about the organizations and how they can give back.”

Christian Livingston, manager of corporate accounting and co-chair of Uni+ed, said response to the fair was impressive. “It was just very heart-warming to see the level of engagement from our Team Members and community organizations. We got a lot of positive feedback from the participants and great interaction from our Team Members.”

Nina Khatami, senior global information governance manager and co-chair of Uni+ed, said her biggest takeaway from the fair was gratitude. “I was so grateful that so many community organizations participated and for how many Team Members came to the event. Everyone is busy but they made time, and the nonprofit organizations told us that our Team Members asked such great questions about how they can contribute or to learn about their work.”

The community involvement fair capped Uni+ed’s volunteer calendar for the first half of 2025. Other activities included volunteering at The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada to distribute food for people in need and participating in Aid for AIDS in Nevada’s (AFAN) AIDS Walk Las Vegas.

“AFAN is a fantastic local nonprofit organization, and we join its AIDS Walk every year,” Livingston said. “This year, Sands also contributed $5,000 to coincide with our participation, and donations to the walk supported the living assistance AFAN provides for people with AIDS in Southern Nevada.”

Melton noted that Uni+ed’s community service priority delivers other positive impact, beyond the immediate assistance to local nonprofit organizations.

“While engaging with and volunteering for community organizations has been a tremendous success for Uni+ed this year, we also are simultaneously holding space for our LGBTQ+ Team Members who may be looking for a place of support,” Melton said. “In that sense, our community work has had another benefit as well.”

Khatami added that participating in the many offerings Uni+ed provides has immediate and lasting benefits.

“Dedicating your time to an education session or volunteer opportunity really does make a difference, because one voice may open someone’s eyes about something they didn’t know,” she said. “Just showing up creates a ripple effect – you may never know the positive impact you had on someone else by what seems to be a small action. This group represents who we are as a company – supporting each other, working for our community and connecting as people.”

The Uni+ed Team Member resource group for the LGBTQ+ community and allies is one of Sands’ many workforce development and Team Member engagement initiatives. To learn more about Team Member advancement, read the company’s latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.