Las Vegas Sands

To celebrate the season of giving, The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas will join with the Armed Forces Foundation and Omaha Steaks to give back to our nation’s wounded veterans with an all-expense paid holiday vacation to Winter in Venice, the second-annual celebration of the winter holiday season on the Las Vegas Strip. From Dec. 5 to 8, the troops will be treated to an array of world-class holiday festivities, entertainment, dining and relaxation.

“Salute Our Troops not only provides an opportunity to thank our nation’s heroes, but is an outlet to help them deal with the hardships of recovery and the stress it places on their families in a positive way,” said Patricia Driscoll, president and executive director of the Armed Forces Foundation. “Now more than ever it is critical to give back to our wounded warriors and their families and provide them with the support they need. We can’t thank Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson and The Venetian staff enough for opening up their hearts to our wounded service members and their families and creating such a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson, the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, will loan their aircraft to fly the wounded warriors from Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir Military Medical Centers in Washington D.C. to Las Vegas, where they will be met with a police motorcade to escort them to The Palazzo.  A cheering crowd of guests and Venetian|Palazzo team members will greet the troops at a welcoming reception in the resort’s atrium gardens.

A live-stream of the troops’ arrival and ceremony will be available at The Venetian Facebook, and The Palazzo Facebook pages. In addition, New York Times bestselling author Michelle Malkin will cover the entire event at her blog, while renowned journalist Alana Goodman will provide in-depth interviews with the troops at Commentary Magazine.

During their holiday vacation, the wounded warriors will enjoy not only  the events of Winter in Venice, but also lavish accommodations, tours of the Las Vegas Strip, and tickets to opening night of the intimate Soul2Soul show starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, as well as tickets to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas at The Palazzo Theater. They will also have the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate sports fan experience at Lagasse’s Stadium, poker tournaments, gondola rides, services at Canyon Ranch SpaClub, and a gourmet cookout hosted by Omaha Steaks at Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas.

“The holiday season gives us a chance to express our gratitude to the men and women in the Armed Forces for their many sacrifices,” said Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations, Las Vegas Sands Corp. “Our chairman Sheldon Adelson and our entire company want nothing more this holiday than to honor and celebrate our nation’s troops and their families. This vacation is our way of saying thank you and happy holidays.”

Omaha Steaks President Bruce Simon said: “As a fifth-generation, family-owned company with a nearly 100 year history, we consider it a privilege to honor these brave soldiers and their families, who have generously sacrificed and bravely served to protect our great nation and the freedoms we all enjoy. We are grateful this holiday season for the opportunity to join with The Palazzo Las Vegas to offer our thanks and gratitude to our military troops and to support the outstanding efforts of the Armed Forces Foundation.”

The Dec. 5 welcome reception will be held at 2 p.m. at The Palazzo Waterfall & Atrium Gardens and is open to the public. The troops will depart Las Vegas at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8. Special thanks to Bell Trans, Cashman Photography, Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Metro and Ryan’s Express who generously donated their services for this special celebration.