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SANTA CLAUS TO VISIT COFFEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DURING MGM GRAND DETROIT HOLIDAY PARTY FOR STUDENTS
12/16/2008
DETROIT – December 16, 2008 - Christmas came a little early for students at one Detroit Public School this afternoon. MGM Grand Detroit officials called in some favors from the North Poll to get Santa Claus to make an early visit to the boys and girls of a Coffey Elementary/Middle School kindergarten class.
Coffey school officials said about 60 percent of the class probably would not have received presents this holiday season, so an MGM Grand Detroit team member posing as Santa Claus gave each student a special gift of their own.
"We have a long standing relationship with Santa, and we heard the students in Mrs. Pikur's class were especially good this year. So we called in a favor," said Dee Dee McKinney Odom, MGM Grand Detroit Director of Community Affairs. "The children were overjoyed to celebrate the holiday with their classmates and receive a present from St. Nick himself."
McKinney Odom said that MGM recognizes that one of the toughest things for parents to endure during the holiday season is not being able to give gifts to their children.
"Our state's poor economy has taken its toll on the parents of these students who are working hard every day to provide their children with basic necessities," said Ms. Omega Mostyn, Principal of Coffey Elementary/ Middle School. "We are very appreciative to MGM Grand Detroit for giving our students an exciting and enjoyable holiday."
MGM Grand Detroit's party at Coffey was part of its 2008 Holiday Campaign which began in November when they donated coats, hats, and gloves to 2,000 children from across the Detroit area. Last week, MGM's desire to spread holiday cheer took them to Covenant House Michigan where their talented culinary team prepared a holiday feast for the youth serviced by the non-profit.
"Having the opportunity to interact with the children of our community during the holiday season has been a dynamic experience for our entire team," said Odom. "We only hope we gave them as much joy as they have given us."
About MGM Grand Detroit
Named as one of the "Top 10 new U.S. hotels of 2007" by Gayot and one of "53 places to visit in 2008" by The New York Times as part of the Detroit destination, MGM Grand Detroit is the city's first and only downtown hotel, gaming, and entertainment destination built from the ground up. The hotel features 400 chic and stylish guest rooms, including nine rooftop VIP suites and 56 opulent corner suites. Guests can enjoy three signature restaurants by two of the world's preeminent celebrity chefs: Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina; 24-hour in-room dining by Puck in addition to casual restaurants; lounges, including a relaxed piano-style bar; high-energy nightlife; the only resort-style spa in southeast Michigan; and 30,000-square-feet of meeting space capable of hosting everything from large corporate events to intimate black-tie engagements.
MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM), one of the world's leading and most respected companies with significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 16 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in four other properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois and Macau. CityCenter, an unprecedented urban metropolis on the Las Vegas Strip scheduled to open in late 2009, is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World. MGM MIRAGE Hospitality has entered into management agreements for future casino and non-casino resorts in the People's Republic of China, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and Vietnam. MGM MIRAGE supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its properties. MGM MIRAGE has received 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 Web site at http://www.mgmmirage.com.
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For more information regarding the MGM Grand Detroit or this release, contact:
Jamaine Dickens, Commerce Communications Group, Inc.
313.640.1801