As local + small business advocates, we do our best to highlight businesses for you (our readers) to invest in. We also love to see a local biz turning around and investing in our community.

Did you know? In 2021, 29,000+ volunteer hours were logged by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino team members + their families participating in the H.E.R.O. (Harrah’s Employees Reaching Out) program, helping local non-profit organizations including:

The company is also investing in its employees, upping the starting pay rate for non-tipped positions to $15 per hour, and disbursing over $163 million in salary, wages + benefits for its 3,700 team members in 2021.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is continuing to invest in WNC with the opening of Gordon Ramsay’s Food Market this spring, and is currently hiring for multiple full-time, part-time and on-call positions (read: finance, security, hotel, food and beverage, engineering, retail + more).

Members of Harrah’s H.E.R.O. program at Harrah's Cherokee Annual Roadside Clean Up in April 2021 to celebrate Code Green, one of Harrah’s Community Relations areas that focuses on sustainability, recycling + environmental safety. | Photo provided

Philanthropic efforts by the numbers

Harrah’s showcased its support for local non-profit organizations with sponsorship donations, totaling over $270,000 in cash + services for 2021. These included:

A $30,000 donation to NC Beautiful
A $20,000 donation to Helping Hands of Haywood
A $10,000 donation to WNC Communities

A $70,000 donation was also made to Folds of Honor, a non-profit organization that assists military families by providing educational scholarships to spouses + children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.

For the fifth year in a row, the casino resort also hosted a beverage fundraising event for Folds of Honor at its properties.

WNC Communities supports innovative programs to improve the quality of life for rural communities + enhance the economy of the agriculture sector. | Photo provided

Economic impact

In addition to upping wages for non-tipped workers, hourly + salaried team members (up to and including managers) also received a wage increase.

$38 million in contracts + services were paid out by Harrah’s, which contributed to supporting both the local economy and local businesses.*