Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth announced the culmination of its Housing Expansion Campaign, exceeding the goal of $500,000 with $675,000 generated through the funding push that began in February 2019. Major investments of $200,000 from Las Vegas Sands and a $100,000 community matching grant from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation led the campaign to rally the Las Vegas community around addressing the lack of housing capacity for homeless youths.
HELP of Southern Nevada and Junior League of Las Vegas teamed up to assemble 2,500 nonperishable food bags for families and individuals in need. The annual “Done in a Day” event is dedicated to providing a complete meal for more than 1,000 prequalified families.
ResCare Community Living of Las Vegas donated $5,000 to Three Square to help address hunger during the holidays. ResCare employees also volunteered to distribute meals and food items to those in need.
Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada hosted its 56th consecutive free Thanksgiving community meal to roughly 1,000 homeless and vulnerable men, women and children in its newly renovated St. Lied Vincent Dining Facility. Gov. Steve Sisolak also made an appearance at the event and helped other volunteers serve meals. Additionally, Catholic Charities received $150,000 from Behavioral Health Nevada. Funds donated will go toward efforts to assist in housing individuals who are chronically homeless.
Nevada Gold Mines donated more than $780,000 to various nonprofits throughout Nevada thanks to 1,900 employees engaged with the Heritage Fund, its charitable workplace giving program that supports the communities where employees live and operate. The program allows employees to contribute to nonprofit organizations of their choice. In its inaugural year, the Heritage Fund contributed to 580 nonprofit organizations. NGM kicked off the fund in December 2020 with an initial $25 gift to employees to start their giving accounts. The company matches all donations made by employees to qualified nonprofits at 120%.
The UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law announced a $1 million endowment for its externship program thanks to a gift from Sam and Lexy Lionel. This gift will establish the Samuel S. Lionel Externship Program, which recognizes Lionel’s contributions to the Las Vegas legal community and provides support to Boyd students as they gain practical experience in the externship program.
CREW Las Vegas donated $6,695 to the local nonprofit Project Marilyn to the help end period poverty.
The Picerne Family Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to Serving Our Kids Foundation. In addition, Ford Country, Ocean Spray and Don & Dee Snyder Elementary School assisted with a recent food drive for the nonprofit, and National Charity League, Young Men’s Service League and Green Valley Kiwanis also helped with bagging weekend meal bags.
The 2021 Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Pro Bono Awards ceremony recognized more than a dozen attorneys and law firms for their commitment to pro bono service, including Jason Onello of Robbins & Onello, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year; Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year; Cheryl Moss, Lied Award for Most Pro Bono Cases by an Attorney; and Robert P. Dickerson of the Dickerson Karacsonyi Law Group, Lied Award Most Pro Bono Hours by an Attorney. Additional winners from the event include: Lied Award Most Pro Bono Cases by a Law Firm – Lewis Roca; Lied Award Most Pro Bono Hours by a Law Firm – Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck; Ask-A-Lawyer Community Commitment Award – Sagar Raich; Public Interest Law Student of Distinction – Greer Sullivan; Volunteer Education Advocate Award – Jordan Schuck; Myrna Williams Children’s Pro Bono Award – Atif Sheikh; Louis Wiener Pro Bono Service Award – Alyssa Aklestad; and Vince Consul Memorial Pro Bono Award – Maggie McLetchie and Adam Hosmer-Henner. Last year, hundreds of volunteer attorneys served more than 4,700 clients through Legal Aid Center’s Pro Bono Project.
With support from underwriters Icy Hot and the Howard Hughes Corporation, Shaquille O’Neal made good on his promise to ensure that 100 youths from West Las Vegas received laptops. On December 11, Las Vegas Councilman Cedric Crear, Ward 5, city of Las Vegas, was joined by Danielle Bisterfeldt, senior vice president of marketing for Summerlin, to distribute Dell laptops at the Shaq Courts at Doolittle, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd.
Mead Law Group donated $10,000 to the local St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital - Nevada.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.