LAS VEGAS, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The MGM MIRAGE Voice Foundation today announced that more than $5.7 million was raised during its 2006 fundraising campaign. The Voice Foundation is the company's nonprofit, philanthropic entity that collects and disburses employee donations to deserving charities and causes where its employees live and work. Approximately 47 percent of 70,000 MGM MIRAGE employees participated in the fundraising campaign this year.
"Every year, MGM MIRAGE employees demonstrate tremendous commitment and dedication to the communities in which they live by contributing to the Voice Foundation," said Punam Mathur, MGM MIRAGE Senior Vice President of Corporate Diversity and Community Affairs. "Numerous organizations will benefit as a result of this year's campaign, and together, we will work to uplift the lives of countless individuals."
2006 marked the first year that properties of the former Mandalay Group participated in the company-wide fundraising effort. This year, those properties raised more than $1.7 million with 40 percent employee participation. In contrast, those same properties raised more than $579,000 for their employee giving campaign with 19 percent employee participation in 2005.
Annually, each of the company's 23 properties is responsible for planning its own Voice campaign events that include live and silent auctions, raffles and employee contests.
"This year's Voice campaigns were an essential element of building a unified corporate culture after last year's merger," said Mathur. "As a result, our employees came together and raised a record-setting total with many properties showing significant increases in employee participation and contributions."
Since the inception of the MGM MIRAGE Voice Foundation five years ago, fundraising efforts have raised more than $17 million providing funding to more than 1,000 organizations.
The MGM MIRAGE Voice Foundation allows employees to contribute to several entities including an employee's preferred charity; the Employee Emergency Relief Fund that helps fellow employees during emergency situations; the local United Way; the Children's Medical Support Fund which provides employees with short-term financial assistance when their child is faced with a medical emergency; or the Voice Community Fund which supports grants to nonprofit agencies that are selected by the MGM MIRAGE Community Voice Council (CVC).
MGM MIRAGE underwrites all administrative costs associated with operating and managing the Voice Foundation, ensuring that 100 percent of employee donations go to the intended recipients. The Voice Foundation will distribute grants later this summer at an agency partner breakfast.
About MGM MIRAGE:
MGM MIRAGE , one of the world's leading and most respected hotel and gaming companies, owns and operates 23 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has investments in three other properties in Nevada, New Jersey and Illinois. MGM MIRAGE has also announced plans to develop Project CityCenter, a multi-billion dollar mixed-use urban development project in the heart of Las Vegas, and has a 50 percent interest in MGM Grand Macau, a hotel-casino resort currently under construction in Macau S.A.R. MGM MIRAGE supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its properties. MGM MIRAGE also has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative and its community philanthropy programs. For more information about MGM MIRAGE, please visit the company's website at http://www.mgmmirage.com/.
