New round of Sands Cares funding provides resources to assist in the nonprofit’s continued physical expansion and supports its organizational development work in the exclusive Sands Cares Accelerator.
LAS VEGAS, June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) has contributed $270,000 to The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada (The Center) through Sands Cares to help sustain The Center’s continued physical expansion, as well as empower its work in the company’s exclusive Sands Cares Accelerator, a three-year membership program aimed at advancing nonprofits to deliver greater community impact.
A portion of the Sands Cares donation is providing resources for office space as The Center continues its growth plans to accommodate expansion of the Arlene Cooper Community Health Center. In addition, The Center is focusing on building its marketing capabilities as part of its Sands Cares Accelerator work, and the balance of funding will enable services that help The Center build visibility through media and communications.
The Center has been a vital part of Las Vegas for 30 years, offering a safe, non-judgmental environment for life-enriching programs, services, events, education and support groups for people who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies of the community. The Center serves as the hub for an array of essential resources and care, including food and meal delivery, physical and mental health care services, and community advocacy.
“Our partnership with Sands has enabled us to execute on key strategies for advancing our strategic vision to build our organization’s future and increasing our services to the LGBTQ+ and Southern Nevada community,” John Waldron, CEO of The Center, said. “We appreciate that Sands understands the value of what we’re trying to accomplish with a demonstrated commitment to our long-term strategy for greater community service and impact.”
Physical Infrastructure Expansion: Since 2021, Sands has supported The Center’s expansion of the Arlene Cooper Community Health Center, as the organization works toward its goal of becoming a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The 2024 Sands Cares funding for office space and related expenses is enabling The Center to locate its administrative functions off-site in a nearby building, so that the health center has the required space to operate until its new facility at 921 S. Las Vegas Blvd is fully operational.
At the start of June 2024, The Center launched a soft opening of the new facility and saw more than 100 patients in the first two weeks. The Center is working on plans to further develop the facility and will launch a grand opening of the facility’s first phase later in 2024.
The Sands Cares funding for physical infrastructure also is providing the resources for upgrades to The Center’s lobby area in the main building to create a refreshed and welcoming environment for community patrons and events.
Marketing Capacity Building: The Center is in its second year of the three-year Sands Cares Accelerator, a program that enables nonprofits to work on a strategic program or functional area over a longer term to increase the organization’s community impact. The Center is using its Sands Cares Accelerator membership to expand its marketing capability, and the 2024 Sands Cares Accelerator funding will continue to support strategic communications services, media production and other storytelling avenues to expand visibility and sustain a strong foundation for the organization’s future.
Inspired by the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit of Sands’ founder Sheldon G. Adelson, the Sands Cares Accelerator carries on his legacy of building successful businesses and giving back to communities with greater corporate involvement to help advance the capabilities of nonprofit organizations and better address the needs of their communities. Members receive funding, strategic guidance and facilitation for their identified program goal, and mentorship, counsel and consulting from Sands’ staff in areas where they can support the nonprofit’s strategic focus.
“We invited The Center to join the Sands Cares Accelerator because it demonstrated the very essence of what we look to nurture in the program: a strategic vision that needs resources, dedicated time and focused development to materialize,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility initiatives. “The Center has a solid roadmap for expanding the health center to fill voids in medical care delivery for the LGBTQ+ community, leveraging its revenue model to sustain overall programming and increasing its visibility to ensure these offerings are embraced. While our contributions span different areas, our support has been carefully planned to help The Center realize its long-term vision.”
Sands’ support for The Center falls under the company’s priorities on nonprofit capacity building and diverse community advancement under the global Sands Cares community engagement program. To learn more about Sands Cares, visit sands.com/responsibility/communities/.
To learn more about The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada, visit https://thecenterlv.org/.