The Cordish Companies and Live! Casino rank among top corporate philanthropists in Baltimore area

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Cordish Companies and Live! Casino & Hotel have once again ranked among the Top Corporate Philanthropists in Greater Baltimore, as released by the Baltimore Business Journal. Combined, the companies earned the No. 5 ranking in recognition for total contributions of more than $5.2 million to local charities and other organizations throughout the Baltimore region in 2018.

Since opening in 2012, Live! Casino & Hotel and parent company The Cordish Companies have consistently ranked among the most active and inspirational organizations, and top corporate philanthropists in the Baltimore area.

The award comes on the heels of the first anniversary celebration of the opening of the Live! Hotel and Event Center, which recently hosted its first community college graduation for Anne Arundel County. The Event Center, currently undergoing an expansion to double in size, provides Anne Arundel County-based nonprofit, governmental and civic groups with a venue for school graduations and other meetings without charge. The opening of the second phase of the Event Center in 2020 will allow Live! to further expand such use of the facility by community groups.

“Community service and corporate giving are two of the pillars this great company was built upon,” said Zed Smith, Chief Operating Officer, The Cordish Companies. “Our ‘Live! in the Community’ program revolves around active and financial contributions to positively impact a variety of local and regional organizations. That’s why you see our Team Members making a difference in their communities by supporting causes that matter to them.”

The Cordish Companies and Live! Casino & Hotel regularly contribute to a wide variety of Baltimore & D.C. area charitable organizations, including Johns Hopkins University, Associated Black Charities, Susan G. Komen Maryland, the USO of Baltimore-Washington DC, the Casey Cares Foundation, the Capital Pride Alliance, the Anne Arundel Community College Foundation, the Anne Arundel and Capital Area Food Banks, Horizon Day Camp, the Blue Angels Foundation, the Anne Arundel County SPCA, and the American Red Cross. The company also sponsor numerous international nonprofit and business organizations, which benefit regional Asian and Hispanic communities.

“Among the core values of this family-owned business is a longstanding commitment to supporting our Team Members and encouraging them to be passionate and philanthropic in their own ways,” said Anthony Faranca, General Manager, Live! Casino & Hotel. “Most recently, we were so inspired by our executive chef Ed Evans’ recent performance on Food Network’s Chopped that we contributed $10,000 to the Y in Central Maryland, so he could fulfill his dream of getting kids in underserved communities involved in the culinary arts.”

The Cordish Family also contributes philanthropically via The Cordish Family Foundation, Inc, a private family foundation with a focus on established programs that serve at-risk youth and education.