The Beau Rivage Food & Beverage team serving comfort to employees and their families

With her fellow Voice teammates, Punam worked alongside FEMA and Red Cross representatives to assess and respond to the needs of MGM MIRAGE employees in crisis. Many times, this meant acting as a conduit to the extensive network of resources already offered by the government and other charitable institutions. Punam and her crew devised an on-site computer lab, complete with laptop computers and Internet access, enabling employees to apply for aid, arrange for temporary housing and receive news about relief efforts online.

Other times, it meant providing for more basic and immediate needs. Hot meals were served on site. In response to an obvious need for clothing, warehouses for the resort’s retail stores were emptied, their contents donated to those in need. Medical personnel were on hand to offer care.

And, still other times, it meant harnessing the enormous outpouring of goodwill and charity from the MGM MIRAGE’s 70,000 member national workforce and watching as it touched the lives of those in need. In addition to the initial $1 million seed donation, MGM MIRAGE pledged to match — dollar for dollar, without limit — all employee contributions to the Voice Foundation’s Katrina Recovery Fund. Since its inception five years ago, the Voice Foundation has received over $11 million in donations. Over half of all employees contribute regularly to Voice through their paychecks, specifying a dollar amount that suits their budget and, sometimes, a particular charity they’d like to help.

In Biloxi today, the focus is on the future. MGM MIRAGE has hired employees from their resort workforce to assist in the reconstruction efforts. The Beau Rivage Recovery Center remains in operation to assist employees as they begin to rebuild their lives. Warm meals are still being served, compliments of the Beau Rivage Food and Beverage Team, and MGM MIRAGE Representatives are available to assist employees in navigating the bureaucracy of the relief system. Above the din of the reconstruction crews, the Voice Foundation’s message of hope, strength and unity in the face of adversity resounds across the Gulf Coast.