Sands Cares Ambassadors Perform Annual Spring Cleaning for Live-Alone Elderly

12th year of Chinese New Year volunteer activity
Benefits Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme users

(Macao, Jan. 26, 2021) – A total of 100 live-alone elderly residents of the neighbourhoods near Rua da Praia do Manduco received a visit from 150 Sands Cares Ambassadors Saturday, for an annual spring cleaning volunteer service activity which included free haircuts for the Lunar New Year.

It is the 12th year of the annual activity, where volunteers from Sands China visit the homes of live-alone elderly users of the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme, organised by The General Union for Neighbourhood Associations. In 2010, Sands China became the first integrated resort operator to support the programme. Since then, the company has donated a total of MOP 2.3 million, benefiting nearly 9,700 live-alone elderly to date. The funds help support people with financial difficulties to use the service and also go toward helping the programme develop more value-added services.

"We are proud of our Sands Cares Ambassadors for their commitment to visit these important members of our community and show them love and care ahead of Chinese New Year for the 12th straight year," said Sands China Ltd. President Dr. Wilfred Wong, who participated in the visit. "Our team members will continue to spread love and care in the community in the spirit of Sands Cares, which is rooted in Mr. and Dr. Adelson's own generosity. Although Mr. Adelson has left us, his philanthropic spirit lives on in the Sands Cares programme. With an unprecedented and challenging year now behind us, we look forward to pulling together as a community once again in 2021 as we meet the Year of the Ox with hope, strength and optimism."

With cleaning supplies in hand, the Sands Cares Ambassadors cleaned and tidied the homes of the elderly residents they visited on Saturday, sweeping, mopping and scrubbing ahead of the New Year. They also chatted with residents and passed out Chinese New Year gift packs – purchased from Fuhong Society of Macau and prepared by its members with disabilities – containing useful staples like oil and noodles, plus a thermos, and dried pear tea bag and soup package made by Fuhong's Corner of Portuguese Cuisine Cantinho Luso. In addition, they offered haircuts to the elderly residents and helped change light bulbs that needed replacing. One of the Ambassadors Chan Chong Wa and Dr. Wong handwrote Chinese calligraphy Fai Chun to bring New Year blessings.

And to support residents' health and safety during the pandemic, Sands China prepared an easy-to-carry epidemic prevention pack for the residents. The packs include a facemask, mask cover and pocket-sized hand sanitizer. Sands Cares Ambassadors delivered the packs and reminded residents to wear masks and wash hands often.

Members of the Sands Cares Ambassador working committee, inaugurated last year, helped organise this year's event. Among them is Joyce Tam, who said: "I've been volunteering at our annual spring cleaning event for many years, but this was my first time helping plan it, now that we have a working committee. I was assigned as one of the team leaders, and that was a great experience for me. Even though we're all sad about Mr. Adelson's passing, it inspired me to dedicate more time to community work so that we can carry forward Mr. Adelson's goodwill in Macao."

The Sands Cares Ambassador programme was established in August 2009 to give Sands China team members an outlet for serving the local community by organising community activities and initiatives that work toward creating a better Macao. With membership of more than 3,300 volunteers from across all Sands China properties – Sands^® Macao, The Venetian^® Macao, The Plaza^® Macao, The Parisian Macao and The Londoner^® Macao – the Sands Cares Ambassadors have contributed more than 130,000 hours of voluntary community service since the programme's founding.

Sands China's community work is part of Sands Cares, the global corporate citizenship programme of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Photo caption: Sands Cares Ambassadors gather outside Sands Macao Saturday ahead of their 12th annual Chinese New Year spring cleaning service project in conjunction with the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme. A total of 150 volunteers visited 100 households of elderly live-alone residents Saturday.

Photo caption: Sands Cares Ambassadors give haircuts and help replace light bulbs for residents of the neighbourhoods near Rua da Praia do Manduco Saturday during the 12th annual Chinese New Year spring cleaning service project in conjunction with the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme.

Photo caption: One of the Sands Cares Ambassadors Chan Chong Wa and Dr. Wilfred Wong handwrite Chinese calligraphy Fai Chun and pass out Chinese New Year gift packs purchased from Fuhong Society of Macau at Saturday’s spring cleaning event.