Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada, Martin-Harris Construction and a host of partners, including GTI Nevada and GSL Electric, granted a local child’s wish for an outdoor play area. Nicolas is a 4-year-old with respiratory failure, which has forced him to spend most of his life in the hospital, dependent on breathing equipment and undergoing numerous surgeries. This new space allows him to play outdoors safely.
The Salvation Army Southern Nevada announced the completion of two safe houses to be used for the organization’s SEEDS (Saving, Empowering, Educating and restoring DreamS) of Hope program serving victims of human trafficking. Funding for the houses was provided by a grant from the MGM Foundation, which also supported an additional case manager. The homes were renovated and furnished with the help of Walker Furniture & Mattress. SEEDS of Hope serves about 25 victims of trafficking with ongoing case management and support. These new homes are expected to serve 10-15 clients for a year.
Communities in Schools of Nevada received a $1.9 million Engelstad Foundation grant to be split over three years. It’s the foundation’s third three-year cycle of giving to CIS of Nevada, representing a collective donation of more than $3.2 million. The grant will support the expansion of the CIS Integrated Student Supports model into four “challenge schools”—Gene Ward Elementary School, Walter V. Long Elementary, Sedway Middle School and Rancho High School. In addition, the grant funds the CIS Academy program at Rancho.
Nevada State College received a $50,000 donation from the Gene Haas Foundation, a philanthropic organization within Haas Automation, which is also opening a manufacturing facility in Henderson. The donation was designated to help students through the impact of COVID-19—be it the loss of income, paying bills or other needs.
Bank of America partnered with eight local nonprofits to provide 74,000 face masks. This donation is part of a nationwide effort to distribute nearly 4 million PPE masks to communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, including communities of color, and is connected to the bank’s $1 billion, four-year commitment of additional support to help communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by a global pandemic. The masks will be distributed to the following organizations: Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, Communities In Schools of Nevada, Delivering With Dignity, Hispanic Taskforce, United Way of Southern Nevada, US Vets, YMCA of Southern Nevada and Nevada Health Centers.
Cox and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation teamed up to help support Clark County School District educators with grants to upgrade their technology as they teach students through distance learning. Through the Teacher Education Grant, Cox will provide 100 teachers with complimentary high-speed internet service for up to nine months to cover the 2020-21 school year. The Vegas Golden Knights Foundation will provide each with a $250 gift card to use toward technology and education tools that aid with virtual teaching. The combined value of the 100 grants is nearly $143,000.
Nevada Equality hosted a drive-thru, contactless back-to-school event, donating more than 250 backpacks. It also opened the Henderson Equality Center, featuring tutoring, advocacy and resources.
The Engelstad Foundation donated its fourth of five installments of a multiyear gift with monies supporting programs and services at Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada. VMSN provides integrated health care to those who can’t access it. During the pandemic, VMSN also received grant support from Wells Fargo Foundation and Direct Relief in partnership with CVS, aiding VMSN in offering telehealth appointments for patients.
Serving Our Kids Foundation, a local nonprofit that feeds and serves the weekend nutrition needs of several thousand homeless and at-risk children, has been selected as the beneficiary of the Gone for a Run virtual race—part of a national five-city challenge series by the family-owned apparel company of technology and products that celebrate and support a running lifestyle. People can sign up through December 31 to contribute to the Las Vegas leg and the foundation. To register or for information, visit goneforarun.com/custom-race-cities-challenge and click on Run for Las Vegas.
The Professional Women in Building Southern Nevada, a council part of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, awarded $23,000 to 10 young female recipients through its Building Hope Scholarship. The organization annually raises money to support educational opportunities for female students who are interested in pursuing professional development, education and certification in fields of study relative to the building industry. Scholarship recipients were awarded between $2,000 to $2,750 each.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation donated $2,000 to the Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation. Funds will be used to promote literacy and learning among new and ongoing youth literacy programs.
Dunkin’ franchisees and restaurant team members celebrated National Coffee Day on September 29 by donating coffee and donuts to employees at Southern Hills Hospital and St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus.
City National Bank donated over 3,600 school-supply kits to schools in eight states as part of its 12th Annual Back-to-School Drive. In Southern Nevada, the bank donated to Helen Jydstrup and Lincoln elementary schools. The school-supply kits include erasers, highlighters, round-tip scissors, paper, pencils, folders, notebooks, pencil sharpeners, rulers, crayons, glue sticks, three-ring binders and more.
The Walmart Foundation granted $300,000 to the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities and Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy to research how well existing disaster management and planning systems in Nevada and Arizona are serving Latinos and Native Americans living in urban areas.