For 14 years, Vegas Inc has reached out to our community to identify some of the Valley’s most outstanding philanthropic leaders for the annual Angel Awards. These awards recognize deserving businesses and individuals whose visionary leadership and commitment to philanthropic ideas and actions have advanced the lives of those who live here. Honorees were nominated by the public and reviewed by a panel of previous Angel Award recipients based on their service to our community, accomplishments and leadership.
This year, we recognize three incredible individuals who are each making a lasting and direct impact in the Valley—especially with our youngest residents. We also shine light on four generous businesses that go above and beyond to make sure everyone in our community is taken care of and given the opportunity to survive and thrive.
We hope that as you read about each of our Angel Award honorees, you become inspired by their actions and encouraged to find your own niche in the charitable landscape of Southern Nevada.
The 2021 Vegas Inc Angel Awards originally appeared in a special issue of Vegas Inc’s Giving Guide. Sign up to get each of Vegas Inc’s special publications delivered to your inbox on the day of their release.
Humanitarian of the Year: Christina Vela, DPP
Chief Executive Officer, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children | stjudesranch.org
Dr. Christina Vela has dedicated herself to serving children and young people in our community for more than two decades. To Vela, each child holds the key to a better future for us all.
“When we fail to invest in hope and healing for children and young people in need, there is the potential for tremendous loss, the loss of opportunity and growth that can impact everyone,” Vela said.
Most recently, Vela spearheaded the concept for the Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children—a specialized program for child victims of sex trafficking that will provide a nurturing and therapeutic environment, survivor advocates and other critical services. As the only residential treatment center of its kind, it will serve as a national prototype to break the cycle of abuse for these victims.
Vela also served as the coordinator for the State of Nevada Coalition to Prevent the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and supports other community organizations, including The Rape Crisis Center, Cupcake Girls and the B.E. A S.H.E.R.O. Foundation.
Volunteer of the Year: Serafin Calvo
Parking Services & Homeless Services Manager, City of North Las Vegas
One of nine children, Serafin Calvo grew up in the projects in Downtown Las Vegas. It is the kindness and generosity of others during that time, and a powerful experience during his church mission, that has fueled Calvo’s perpetual dedication to the service of others all these years later.
Calvo’s biggest secret comes in the form of a healthy dose of holiday cheer. After discovering that it was a Secret Santa who ensured his family had gifts each Christmas morning, he now pays it forward by doing the same for other families in need—and has done so for three decades.
“Once you see how much you can impact someone’s life, you will never be the same again,” Calvo said.
Calvo also serves as an active volunteer and advisory board member with Project 150—a local nonprofit that helps homeless and disadvantaged high school students by providing basic needs as well as mentorship and scholarships—helping these youths graduate and lead a successful future.
Philanthropic Business of the Year (Private): Grand Canyon Development Partners
Giving back to the community is ingrained in the company culture at Grand Canyon Development Partners. As a construction and development company, it provides pro bono services for several projects across the Valley each year.
Currently, the company is involved in the development of the new campus for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, with a goal of providing a “home away from home” for families and children who are receiving inpatient or outpatient medical treatment for critical illnesses and injuries at local hospitals. It is also serving as the development manager for the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children’s Healing Center, a treatment center for victims of sex trafficking and exploitation.
GCDP has also supported development and construction efforts of CORE Academy, Noah’s Animal House and Southern Nevada Children First. And there are no plans of stopping. As part of its Developing Dreams award program, created by GCDP president Sam Nicholson, the company aims to help nonprofit organizations in the community build their dream projects “one brick at a time.”
Nonprofit of the Year: Cleveland Clinic Nevada
The Alzheimer’s Association ranks Nevada as the third-fastest aging state in the country, with age being the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. At Cleveland Clinic Nevada, physicians and staff are working tirelessly to reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on our vulnerable community.
Cleveland Clinic established Nevada’s first and only Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center with a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. They also championed the nation’s first women-specific center for Alzheimer’s disease prevention with Maria Shriver.
“Cleveland Clinic constantly looks for more ways to connect the communities we serve with the care they need, especially where the gaps between need and supply are greatest,” said Dr. Dylan Wint, director of Cleveland Clinic Nevada.
Cleveland Clinic stands alone in the breadth and scope of the no-cost educational, therapeutic and support services offered to patients and families. It also developed the Healthy Brains Initiative to educate and empower people to take a proactive approach to brain health with a free online community, brain health assessments and personalized reports available at HealthyBrains.org.
Cultural Advocate of the Year: Diane Mifsud
Director of Arts in Medicine, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation | cure4thekids.org
As a professional artist in Las Vegas for over 25 years, Diane Mifsud wanted to make an impact on the lives of children. She created Project Imagine as a creative outlet for children who are suffering from illness—facilitating art, music, photography and literary exploration sessions as the exclusive arts in medicine program at Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.
“We provide a safe and creative space in the clinic, giving the children an opportunity to express and resolve unspoken feelings through the arts,” Mifsud said.
Through Project Imagine, Mifsud strives to enhance their quality of life and empower children with severe health conditions through creative expression—with the knowledge that these actions can aid in treatment success, reduce anxiety and bring comfort to pediatric patients, their families and caregivers. The results are nothing short of extraordinary.
“Seeing the faces of the children as they step outside of their circumstances and explore their own creativity has been a true honor,” Mifsud said.
Foundation of the Year: Las Vegas Rotary Foundation
The Las Vegas Rotary Foundation is the main foundation of the Las Vegas Rotary Club—the first service club formed in Las Vegas in 1923. The Rotary has continuously supported the community for nearly 100 years through voluntary contributions from members of the club, partners of the foundation and thousands of volunteer hours in support of local programs.
The Rotary’s primary focus remains on children and students. Its annual reading program, in partnership with Spread the Word, provides $25,000 in new books each year to elementary schoolchildren in high-need schools. And its Santa Clothes program provides a week’s worth of clothes, jackets and shoes to low-income children. In 25 years, the program has given $1.5 million in services and donations, and has helped about 6,000 children in Las Vegas.
The Rotary’s additional charitable efforts include providing more than 100 wheelchairs for disabled residents in need last year in partnership with the Nevada Wheelchair Foundation, and partnering with the local Kiwanis Club to donate more than 100,000 nonperishable food items each year to the Salvation Army.
Philanthropic Business of the Year (Public): Nevada Gold Mines, operated by Barrick
Community means more than just a group of people living in a larger society. For Nevada Gold Mines, community means helping each other. Community is the state of participating in something greater than oneself,” said Greg Walker, executive managing director of Nevada Gold Mines.
With a commitment to educational equity, Nevada Gold Mines, operated by Barrick, invests in youth by partnering with schools and universities, sponsoring scholarships and internships, and supporting skilled trades programs and other educational initiatives—all with the aim of helping Nevadans achieve their full potential. For NGM, everything starts with education.
NGM is a proud supporter of Communities in Schools, donating $320,000 to help improve the physical and mental health of at-risk K-12 students. The company has also provided schools access to Chromebooks for distance learning, invested in teacher training and leadership initiatives, supported efforts to increase science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and worked to ensure the inclusivity of women and communities of color.
Additionally, since the start of the pandemic, NGM gave $3.7 million to statewide programs, such as the governor’s COVID-19 Task Force and Discovery Education, $350,000 to Native American tribal partners and more than $250,000 to support food programs, such as Three Square and Delivering With Dignity.