April 22, 2021 – Committed to spreading love and care to Macau’s different communities, Galaxy Entertainment Group (“GEG”) organizes and supports many activities that contribute to the betterment of society. Earlier, GEG collaborated with the Macau Down Syndrome Association (“the association”) on arranging several volunteering activities, including an invitation for GEG volunteers to watch the “My Beating Heart” documentary that the association had produced based on a true story of people with Down syndrome. In addition, GEG also invited families from the association to join GEG volunteers for a nature walk at the Hac Sa Reservoir Fitness Trail. Through these activities, GEG hopes to encourage its volunteers and team members to better understand the abilities of people with Down syndrome, as well as to continue to learn from these inclusive activities and contribute to social harmony.

In celebration of the 13^th anniversary of Macau’s adoption of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the “World Down Syndrome Day 2021”, the association organized public screenings of the “My Beating Heart” documentary of which GEG arranged volunteers to attend so that they can better understand the differences of people with Down syndrome and learn how to get along with people with special needs. Produced by the association in 2020, the documentary aims to promote the public's attention and respect for people with special needs and to build awareness of equity and inclusion. Ms. Lok Sin Teng, one of the participating volunteers from the Table Games Department said, “I was inspired by the documentary and gained a lot of insight from hearing from people with Down syndrome how they really feel under different types of relationships. In fact, people with Down syndrome have emotions just like us, all of us need to love and be loved. I am proud to be a part of the GEG Volunteer Team, which has provided me with lots of opportunities to get in touch with different people and build a better society.”

Besides, GEG also invited families from the association to join GEG volunteers for a nature walk, during which the participants did warm-up exercises, interacted, established friendships and observed the different plants and trees while walking through the Hac Sa Reservoir Natural Park and learning about ecology and the importance of environment conservation. Ms. Teresa Lao, Chairman of Executive Board of the Macau Down Syndrome Association said, “We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with GEG in organizing these activities that encourage participants to maintain a healthy physical and mental balance, and also to enjoy and respect the natural habitat. The event offered a good opportunity for people with Down syndrome to work on their communication and social networking skills. We hope that more people can come to understand the needs and abilities of people with Down syndrome and that everyone can work together to build an inclusive society.”

Upholding its philosophy of “what is taken from the community is to be used for the good of the community,” GEG has been working closely with different social service organizations in organizing a wide range of community and outreach activities to promote social harmony, including inviting members from the Macau Down Syndrome Association to watch the “Peppa Pig Live” musical at the Broadway Macau™; cooperating with the Macau Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society, the Peng On Tung Tele-assistance Service Center of Macau, and the Macau Federation of Trade Unions in arranging visits to the elderly; as well as organizing inclusive workshops with the Association of Parents of the People with Intellectual Disabilities of Macau, the Sheng Kung Hui Macau Social Services Coordination Office and the Macau Special Olympics  to enhance the social interaction between GEG volunteers and members of the community and to spread love and care to different community groups. In the future, GEG will continue to support and organize community and outreach activities and contribute to the building of an inclusive and harmonious Macau.