ESG Watch (July 2022)

Caesars Entertainment gives 22 students up to $20,000 in college scholarships

Caesars Entertainment has given 22 US students up to $20,000 (£16,635) toward a college or degree-granting programme. The students will be handed $5,000 a year, renewable for up to four years.

This programme is known as The Don Carano Legacy Scholarship, which is a tribute to the late Don Carano’s passion for the gaming industry and the family values he instilled at the firm. The scholarship is open to staff with children who are high school seniors or currently in college.

The students were selected in partnership with the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada. The students are from all different parts of the US, including Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wisconsin.

The scholarship is a part of Caesar’s recently launched “All-in-One Education” programme, which offers low to no-cost education, tuition reimbursement, student loan debt repayment options and 529 college savings plan options.

Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, said: “We were incredibly impressed by the applicants for our inaugural year of the Don Carano Legacy Scholarship.

“Supporting our team members is our top priority, and that means supporting their families as well. We’re proud to launch this scholarship programme and provide financial aid to these remarkable and diverse students.”

PlanetPay365 and SS Lazio launch a new summer camp to support children

Serie A side Lazio held a summer camp at the beginning of the month where 11 children aged between eight and 13 years old, from the family homes of So.Spe non-profit organisation took part in the camp.

The summer camp was funded by PlanetPay365, a multiservice platform owned by Planet Entertainment-SKS365 Group, as part of its wider Giving Something Back programme, “Enable the Dreams”.

The initiative was introduced at the Lazio-Verona match at the Stadio Olimpico in May and began with PlantPay365-branded backpacks and a kit for the summer camp.

Brian Dean, CEO of Planet Entertainment, said: “The excitement of the kids at the kick-off of the summer camp made us proud.

“We believe sport is the ideal tool to give children hope for a better future and is a unique opportunity for them to build new friendships and learn how to grow. I thank the onlus So.Spe and Lazio for their valuable support and cooperation in enabling the dreams of these children to come true.”

Suor Paola, founder of So.Spe organisation added: “The happiness of these kids fills our hearts with great emotion. It’s amazing how a gesture of solidarity can be so powerful and make the dreams of those children come true.

“I truly want to thank Lazio and PlanetPay365 for giving this opportunity to our 11 wonderful kids who are looking forward to living this experience of sport and inclusion. I hope this initiative will be followed by many others in the future. Solidarity enriches everyone, both those who receive and those who give”.

FDJ Foundation donates to Ukrainian refugee charities

FDJ has donated €180,000 (£151,255) to the international non-profit Libraries Without Borders, which will use the money to finance the creation of a mobile app for refugees. The app will be made in collaboration with Ukrainian-speaking French-as-foreign-language (FLE) experts.

The app will teach refugees French with cultural content and administrative information in Ukrainian. These lessons will also cover aspects of French social codes and other procedures to enter education or employment.

The app is currently in the test phase and is slated for a September release.

FDJ also donated €20,000 to Together for Human Development, which offers holistic support for Ukrainian refugees in an emergency centre at Noisy-le-Grand, a commune in the suburbs of Paris.

Charles Lantieri, chairman of the FDJ Foundation and deputy MD of FDJ, said: “In the early days of the war, the FDJ group made an emergency donation of €200,000 to the Red Cross to quickly come to the aid of Ukrainians. Today, we want to help meet the longer-term needs of refugees.

“Therefore, we decided to bring our support for two associations, Libraries Without Borders and Together for Human Development, which directly support Ukrainian refugees hosted in France.”

Codere Online donates $300,000 to support women’s football NGO

Codere Online has donated $300,00 (£248,718) to NGO She Wins to support women’s football.

The cheque was delivered on 8 July at the Hipodromo de las Américas in Mexico City and was attended by Claudia Angélica Pacheco López, coordinator of social networks at Codere Online in Mexico, Leticia Palacios, operations director of Codere Online in Mexico, Cecilia Vales, general director of She Wins, and professional soccer player Nailea Vidrio.

The money will go towards women’s social, personal and professional development in Mexico and Latin America.

This donation is part of the company’s CSR actions linked to the #CodereConEllas campaign that also promotes digital meetings with professional football players who share their experiences in the sport and the challenges they have faced.