The Public Education Foundation honored John Guedry, Myron Martin and Beverly Mathis at its 19th annual Education Hero Award Dinner. Guedry won the Education Hero Award for his charitable and civic contributions to public education and his dedication to advancing educational opportunities for all. Martin was recognized as a Champion of Children for his dedication to supporting children and improving their future. Mathis was given a Lifetime Education Achievement Award for her enduring commitment to improve public education. Additionally, the foundation’s board of directors elected three new members: Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, Nevada Senate Democratic Leader Aaron Ford and real estate executive Tera Anderson. The foundation also re-elected 28 members, including Sig Rogich, chairman; Jan Jones Blackhurst, senior vice chair; Joshua Miller, vice chair of finance; Kendall Tenney, vice chair of development; Steve Forsythe, vice chair of community relations; Dave Hall, vice chair of administration; Ann Lynch, secretary; and John Guedry, treasurer. Other board members are: Jeff Ames; Klif Andrews; Cliff Atkinson; John Bailey; Michael J. Brown; Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske; Dr. Raj Chanderraj; Tony Chopp; Chris Cole; Michael Cunningham; Kami Dempsey-Goudie; Doretha Easler; Dr. Rutu Ezhuthachan; Steve Forsythe; Matthew Frazier; Sheryl Goldstein; Kris Hipwell; Robert A. Martin; Robert Richardson; Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta; Steve Singer; Raymond Specht; James L. Wadhams; retired Sen. Valerie Wiener; and Myrna Torme Williams.
Suzey Sligh VanNess is director of development at Shade Tree. VanNess develops fundraising programs, oversees grant applications and proposals, and promotes annual giving opportunities to support shelter needs.
Through the Eyes of a Child Foundation’s 2015 board of directors is Michael Skenandore, president; David Soto, chairman; Heather Soto, secretary chairwoman; Paula Lessnick, treasurer; Adam Courrier, scholarship chairman; James Lessnick and Grant Butak, grant writers; Jared Krulewitz and Nicole Scherer, co-event chairs; and Daffodil Flores, public relations chairwoman. Through the Eyes of a Child provides cultural, athletic and educational scholarships to abused, abandoned and neglected children who are current or former wards of the state.
Bank of America volunteers loaded a truck and hand-delivered nearly 10,000 supplies to Ann Lynch Elementary, Sandy Miller Elementary and Monaco Middle School. The supplies were collected during the bank’s fifth annual school supply drive.
The Clark County Department of Family Services, Foster Connect, Foster Kinship, Fostering Southern Nevada, Three Square Food Bank and more than a dozen community partners donated backpacks with school supplies to children in DFS care.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Las Vegas office donated school supplies, 300 school uniforms and a clothes washer and dryer to Halle Hewetson Elementary School.
About 4,000 Las Vegas Sands employees and volunteers built hygiene kits for Clean the World. Each kit includes recycled hotel soap, shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
College of Southern Nevada culinary students teamed with Chefs for Kids to serve breakfast to about 800 children at Lois Craig Elementary School.
Western Governors University/Nevada launched the WGU Nevada Salute To Veterans Scholarship, which provides up to $2,500 per student.
Tanna Prince, senior vice president of the Lockton Cos., is president of the Rape Crisis Center board of directors. Kristin Conte, owner of The Engage Agency, is vice president. Board members include Jodi Tyson, government affairs director at Three Square Food Bank; Alba Hays, a real estate professional at Realty Executives; and Renee Rivera-Shaffer, compliance officer at the TAO Group.
A McDonald’s Appetite for the Arches celebrity chef event at a McDonald’s on Rainbow Boulevard in Las Vegas raised more than $1,500 for the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Las Vegas. The event featured four celebrity chefs who prepared gourmet dishes using only McDonald’s ingredients.
Staffers from the Fremont Street Experience and the Dave, Mahoney and DK Morning Show on X107.5 raised $13,380 for St. Jude’s Children’s Ranch during a SlotZilla Charity Challenge.
The Habit Burger Grill raised more than $4,000 for Las Vegas Boy Scouts, ScoutReach, Spread the Word Nevada, Southern Nevada Children First and Three Square Food Bank.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties donated 49,000 bottles of water to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.
Bank of America donated $115,000 to Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Nevada, Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada, Women’s Development Center, Las Vegas Natural History Museum and Nevada Public Radio.
Carlos Santana and Hermes Music donated 60 musical instruments, including acoustic guitars, tambourines and cowbells, to Opportunity Village’s Fine and Performing Arts Program.
Amerigroup Nevada donated $5,000 to Three Square Food Bank.
More than 500 volunteers from Telus International, a business process outsourcing services provider, revamped Vegas Verde Elementary School’s gardens, playgrounds and building. Work included painting benches and helping a local artist paint a mural.
More than $200,000 was raised for children with cancer during the 25th anniversary Superhero 5K with Chet Buchanan, a record for the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada. The event, at Exploration Park in Mountain’s Edge, also set records for having more than 3,000 attendees, 2,300 race and walk participants, and 501 competitive 5K racers.
MGM Resorts International donated $1 million to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The gift will support the construction of the Smithsonian’s 19th museum, scheduled to open this year.
Nevada Title Company and its affiliate Nevada Construction Services delivered school supplies to Ira J. Earl Elementary School as part of a 16-year partnership with the Clark County School District. The companies collected backpacks, paper, erasers, pencils, binders, crayons and toiletries for students.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Jennifer Carleton joined the board of directors of the Tyler Robinson Foundation, the charitable arm of the music group Imagine Dragons. The foundation is named for a fan who at 16 years old was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.
Rachel’s Kitchen donated $4,434 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Pole Position Raceway, Undaunted Apparel and Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series donated $4,500 to Speedway Children’s Charities.
Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada received $95,000 from the Walmart Foundation to fund the Hands of Hope Community Food Pantry. Goodwill Industries of Southern Nevada Inc. received $80,000 from the foundation to provide job training and employment services to veterans and their immediate family members. Opportunity Village received $50,000 from the foundation to expand its food-service curriculum, which teaches skills to people with intellectual disabilities.