Empire City Casino Employee Wins National Volunteer Service Award

YONKERS, NY — Usually, when someone has their picture taken at Empire City holding a giant check, it means they were very lucky, but in the case of this longtime employee, it means he was very good.

Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts has announced that longtime employee and Creative Manager Justin Grasso has been selected as one of three recipients across the country to receive the quarterly MGM Resorts Volunteer Service Award. Grasso was selected because of his continued dedication to volunteerism, according to the company. He is described as an unwavering advocate for blood drives as a way to help ensure there is an ample supply of life-saving blood available for patients.

A New Jersey resident, Grasso became a member of the "Gallon Club" in 2022. In 1990, the New York Blood Center created the Gallon Club program to recognize frequent donors who have donated more than a gallon of blood to save the lives of patients.

Soon, Grasso plans to begin donating platelets, which are very fragile, short-lived blood cells that are essential for normal blood clotting. They must be transfused within seven days of donation, which means they are always needed to ensure availability for hospitals every day. Platelets are often used to treat patients with cancer, those with blood disorders, bone marrow transplant patients, and accident victims.

Empire City Casino hosts regular blood drives to make it easy for community members and employees to donate blood regularly. Grasso is a regular participant in the blood drives hosted at his workplace, but when he became aware of the continuing blood shortages, he began donating blood every eight weeks to blood centers in New York and New Jersey.

Volunteerism is an important part of the MGM Resorts culture, according to the company. Employees across the country have exceeded 1 million volunteer hours to local nonprofit organizations.

Empire City Casino employees regularly participate in community volunteer efforts and Empire City also recently provided grants to almost a dozen local nonprofits that provide direct services to residents in the local communities in which it operates.

As a recipient of the Volunteer Service Award, Grasso receives $2,500 to donate to his nonprofit of choice. Despite his commitment to blood donation organizations, Grasso has chosen to direct these funds to The Alzheimer's Association, as he lost his grandparents to the progressive disease which destroys memory and other important cognitive functions.

The donation will support the nonprofit’s mission to accelerate global research, drive risk reduction and early detection, and maximize quality care and support. About 410,000 New Yorkers have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, according to the New York State Health Department. That number is expected to grow to 460,000 people by 2025. New York has the dubious distinction of having the nation's second-highest rate of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias.

"After losing both of my grandparents, I started to think more and more about the heartbreaking fact that so many people suffering from Alzheimer's are losing memories of their loved ones," Grasso said. "I am so thankful to MGM Resorts for not only this honor, but for providing me with both the financial and volunteering opportunities to support causes that mean so much to me."

MGM Resorts has implemented the quarterly Volunteer Service Award initiative to recognize employee volunteerism across its properties. The Volunteer Service Award recognizes three employees from across twenty-two MGM Resorts destinations across the country who have created positive change within their community through volunteerism.

"We are incredibly proud to have employees like Justin on our team who go the extra mile to make such impactful changes," said Taryn Duffy, Vice President of Public Affairs At Empire City, who oversees philanthropic giving. "We will continue to cultivate an environment where employees have opportunities to volunteer and support local community charitable organizations. It’s a large part of who we are and what we do."

To learn more about Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, visit their website.