Adelson Family Foundation Donates MOP 15 Million in Post-Typhoon Aid to USJ

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Jan 09, 2018, 07:24 ET

Adelsons' donation will target four critical post-typhoon recovery needs

MACAO, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adelson Family Foundation presented a ceremonial cheque for more than US$1.9 million (approximately MOP 15.4 million) Tuesday to the University of Saint Joseph to assist its recovery efforts after Typhoon Hato and subsequent storms caused major damage to its new campus in August and September.

Las Vegas Sands and Sands China executives present a US$1.9 million cheque to the University of Saint Joseph on behalf of the Adelson Family Foundation on Tuesday. The donation will help support the university’s recovery efforts after Typhoon Hato caused major damage to its new campus in August. Left to right: Fr. Peter Stilwell, rector, University of Saint Joseph; Patrick Dumont, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Las Vegas Sands Corp.; Dr. Wilfred Wong, president, Sands China Ltd. (PRNewsfoto/Sands China Ltd.)

Executives from Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd. presented the ceremonial cheque to Fr. Peter Stilwell, rector of the University of Saint Joseph, on behalf of the Adelson Family Foundation and its founders, Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd. Sheldon G. Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson, at the university's new campus. While there, the executives toured the damaged areas that will be restored with the help of the Adelson Family Foundation donation.

"When we heard about the extensive damage to Macao as a result of Typhoon Hato, our hearts immediately went out to all of the people impacted by it," said the Adelsons. "We care deeply about the Macao community and wanted to do something to help in the aftermath of the storm. Hopefully this donation to the University of Saint Joseph can help speed up the recovery process and get them fully back to providing all of their educational services as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing the results for ourselves during our next trip to Macao."

The basement level of the university's new Green Campus on Ilha Verde became flooded after the storm, submerging nearly all its installed and stored equipment under 3 metres of water. Five days of pumping were required in order to drain the basement.

The Adelson Family Foundation donation will go toward addressing four critical areas of need at the university:

Library

The university's library had a large number of books in storage on the basement level, which was subsequently flooded in its entirety. As a result, the books -- estimated to be valued at approximately MOP 16 million -- were tragically and irrevocably damaged.

The donation from the Adelson Family Foundation will allow the basement level of the library to undergo a complete redesign to protect against future natural disasters, including the development of a new deposit space for the library's collection and an increase in its electronic resources to compensate for the physical loss of shelf space and books.

Server room

The storms also damaged the university's server room -- which houses its IT infrastructure -- and knocked out services such as Internet, phone and closed-circuit TV. The server room will now be upgraded with a monitoring system to prevent future damage from severe weather. The system will help identify potential risks, such as water leakage and fire, and will send alerts so that pre-emptive work can be carried out to avoid impending damage.

Audio-Visual Studio

Plans were in place to build a basement-level audio-visual studio for the Digital Cinema Programme of the Faculty of Creative Industries before the typhoon hit. After the storm, about MOP 7 million worth of audio-visual equipment in storage at the basement level was completely submerged in flooded water for days, causing irreparable damage to the equipment. Some equipment was covered by insurance and by a Macao SAR government subsidy. The Adelson Family Foundation's donation will support the university to design and build a new studio in a safe and appropriate location.

Fitness room and recreational corner

The gymnasium space located in the basement of the campus was completely destroyed after the typhoon. That space may now be reassigned to better serve the post-typhoon needs of the campus. In its stead, a fitness room and recreational corner will be built in Residential Hall to provide fitness and recreational activities for the university's students

The timing of Typhoon Hato -- in August, just before the start of the new academic term -- was particularly unfortunate for the university, which had only recently received its new Ilha Verde campus in June.

Fr. Stilwell said: "We were all caught off guard by the severity of the damage inflicted by Typhoon Hato, and did our best to take it as a challenging way to begin a new term on a new campus. The immediate interest and timely support from the Adelson Family Foundation came as an unexpected and heart-warming surprise. Without it, we would have been hard put to get the damaged facilities back to working order this academic year. We are deeply grateful to the Adelsons both for having noticed our plight and for their rapid and generous support to USJ at such a critical time."

The MOP 15 million donation by the Adelson Family Foundation will go a long way toward making the University of Saint Joseph's new campus fully operational as quickly as possible.

The foundation has made a pledge to donate a total of MOP 35 million in disaster relief funds to Macao in the wake of the destructive 2017 storm season. Including a MOP 30 million donation pledged by Sands China Ltd., the Adelson Family Foundation and Sands China Ltd. have committed to a total donation of MOP 65 million to support typhoon disaster relief in Macao.

About Sands China Ltd.

Sands China Ltd. (HKEx: 1928, Sands China or the Company) is a Cayman Islands registered company and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Sands China is the largest operator of integrated resorts in Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio is comprised of The Venetian^® Macao, The Plaza™ Macao, Sands^® Cotai Central and The Parisian Macao. The Company also owns and operates Sands^® Macao on the Macao peninsula. The Company's integrated resorts contain a diversified mix of leisure and business attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping malls; world-class entertainment at the Cotai Arena, The Venetian Theatre, The Parisian Theatre and the Sands Cotai Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio has the goal of contributing to Macao's transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure. Sands China is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS).