Curried Sweet Potato Latkes

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Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth Plastic Food Drive

We have reached our final week of Plastic Food Drive 2014 and in order to help us reach our goal of ensuring no youth goes hungry this holiday season, Smith’s Food & Drug Stores has promised to match $25 gift cards purchased at Smith’s or other grocery stores up to $1,000 this week!

Help us reach our goal of $25,000 in gift cards this year, so we can provide meals to the more than 9,000 homeless youth living here in Clark County.

Food gift cards of any denomination can be dropped off from now until Tuesday, November 25th at the William Fry Drop-In Center (4981 Shirley Street, Las Vegas, NV 89119). Online donations are also accepted! Click below now to donate online – all PFD online donations will be used to purchase food gift cards for homeless youth. 

Please visit www.nphy.org/pfd for more information on how you can get involved.

Station Casinos and 95.5 The Bull team up for 11th Annual Toys For Tickets All-Star Jam

 Station Casinos and 95.5 The Bull are proud to give local children in need of a brighter holiday season with the 11^th Annual Toys For Tickets All-Star Jam on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014 at Club Madrid inside Sunset Station. Locals who drop off a new, unwrapped toy to Findlay North Volkswagen at 7500 W. Azure Dr. or Findlay Honda Northwest at 7494 W. Azure Dr., will receive a ticket to this extraordinary performance. All donated toys will benefit Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. 

The 11^th Annual Toys For Tickets All-Star Jam will feature special performances by country music superstars Big & Rich, David Nail, Frankie Ballard, The Swon Brothers, Josh Thompson and Maddie & Tae, who will take the stage to thank 95.5 The Bull’s listeners and Station Casinos’ guests who selflessly donated toys to bring a brighter holiday season to a child in need.  

Tickets for the 11^th Annual Toys For Tickets All-Star Jam are available beginning Monday, Nov. 17 (while supplies last) to anyone who donates a new, unwrapped toy (minimum value of $10) to Findlay North Volkswagen at 7500 W. Azure Dr. or Findlay Honda Northwest at 7494 W. Azure Dr. One ticket per toy and there is a two-ticket maximum per person and the show will be general admission. Doors open at 6 p.m. and guests must be 21 years or older. For more information and a list of toy drop-off locations, please visit www.955thebull.com.

ELEMENTS FITNESS FOR WOMEN EVENT DESIGNED TO ADD THE POLISH FOR DRESS FOR SUCCESS SOUTHERN NEVADA

Every professional outfit needs a little polish, in the form of just the right accessories. Elements Fitness for Women wants to help Dress for Success Southern Nevadamake sure its clients have the right accessories for their new careers. The first Elements “Add the Polish” event will be held November 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the fitness center, 11251 South Eastern Ave., Henderson. 

Guests are encouraged to bring gently-used accessories to donate to Dress for Success Southern Nevada, an organization that helps disadvantaged women in finding employment and achieving self-sufficiency. The free event is open to the public. In addition to meeting Elements Fitness trainers and instructors, guests will enjoy the fine art showing of Byron May Art. Complimentary food and drinks will be served. Prizes and raffles will include two tickets to the hit show, Million Dollar Quartet, at Harrah’s Resort in Las Vegas.

Elements Fitness for Women owner, Melissa Schmidt, has supported Dress for Success for years.  She comments, “I very much believe in this organization and the good work it does. As soon as we opened our center, I really wanted to host an event.”

When Schmidt contacted Dress for Success Southern Nevada Executive Director Paula Lawrence, she learned the real need is for professional accessories. “Hats, purses, belts, jewelry and shoes are what we really need,” says Lawrence. “It’s really these extras that make the outfit and make our clients feel confident and poised.” Their conversation generated the idea for Add the Polish, an event that Schmidt hopes to make an annual benefit.

Veteran’s Day Deals

If you’re looking for a place to celebrate Veteran’s Day tonight, these locations are offering specials as well as entertainment to honor our soldiers. 

Deals: 

On Veterans Day, Sammy’s will honor all veterans and active military by offering one free tapa with a valid military ID.  The special will be during dinner hours and requires an equal or greater value purchase. 

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is proud to give back to those who have, or are currently, serving our country. All United States Military personnel, active or retired, who dine at one of 10 Five Guys Burgers and Fries locations in Nevada on Tuesday, Nov. 11, will receive free Five Guys or Cajun Style Fries.

Honey Salt (at 1031 S. Rampart) and Made L.V. (in Tivoli Village) will be hosting Military Appreciation Month during November. Any military personnel, retired or active, with a valid military ID can receive 15% off their bill at either restaurant.

Krispy Kreme will offer veterans and active duty military personnel one complimentary doughnut of any variety and one complimentary small coffee on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Entertainment: 

Award-winning comedian Matt Kazam is proud to give back to United States military members with an invitation to attend his show for free. Beginning Tuesday, November 11, all active and retired military members with a valid military ID will receive two tickets to 40 Is Not The New 20 at the renowned Riviera Hotel & Casino. Military Appreciation Tuesdays will take place every Tuesday from November 11, 2014through November 10, 2015. Visit www.mattkazam.com for more information. 

Eric Jordan Young salutes those who have served our country with 2-for-1 tickets to see his new production, Shakin’, at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. To redeem the tickets, guests can show a VIC ID (Veteran Identification Card), DAV ID card (Disabled American Veterans ID) or Common Access Card (CAC) at the Sin City Theatre Box Office or enter the code EJYLOCAL241 during Ticketmaster checkout. This offer is ongoing for all active and retired military personnel now through December 30, 2014. After the Veterans Day show, guests can stick around to meet Eric and receive a complimentary autographed Once In A Lifetime CD from Eric Jordan Young on Tuesday, November 11 only.

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage Hotel & Casino will give all active and retired military personnel a complimentary admission with a valid ID Nov. 7- 16 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.  Family members who carry dependent and spouse ID cards will receive a $5 discount.

Eric Jordan Young Honors Retired and Active Military Personnel with 2-for-1 Tickets to Shakin’ Beginning on Veterans Day

Eric Jordan Young salutes those who have served our country with 2-for-1 tickets to see his new production, Shakin’, at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. To redeem the tickets, guests can show a VIC ID (Veteran Identification Card), DAV ID card (Disabled American Veterans ID) or Common Access Card (CAC) at the Sin City Theatre Box Office or enter the code EJYLOCAL241 during Ticketmaster checkout. This offer is ongoing for all active and retired military personnel now through December 30, 2014. After the Veterans Day show, guests can stick around to meet Eric and receive a complimentaryautographed Once In A Lifetime CD from Eric Jordan Young on Tuesday, November 11 only.
 
“I wouldn’t be on stage doing what I love if it wasn’t for the men and women of our military,” said Young. “This ticket special is just a small token of my appreciation for all of their sacrifice to protect and defend our country.”
 
Two-Time Broadway World Award Winner, Young, takes the stage Saturday through Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Sin City Theatre inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. For more information visitwww.ejyshakin.com.

The LINQ Promenade Will Celebrate November with Free Mustache Rides, Car Shows and a Legendary Pop Icon

The LINQ Promenade – Caesars Entertainment’s open-air shopping, dining and entertainment district – is celebrating the entire month of November with “Free Mustache Rides” at the High Roller to any men donning a full mustache when they donate a minimum of $5 to The Movember Foundation – the leading global organization committed to changing the face of men’s health. The Movember community works to save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.

For the entire month, The Style Lounge will be giving a $5 donation towards The Movember Foundation for any men who receive haircuts at their location. This is the perfect opportunity to help raise funds and awareness while falling into the autumn season.

WEEKLY EVENTS: 

Monday: Monday Night Football

Watch your favorite team play on nearly 250 TVs, spread across 12 unique venues at The LINQ, offering more than 660 beer options on draught and bottle.

Tuesday : The LINQ BLOQ Party

Starting at 9:30 p.m., Silent Disco will take place at The LINQ Fountain Stage. Silent Disco is free and open to the public. Locals can take advantage of the 30% off High Roller ticket offer with a complimentary drink at the Sky Lounge. Chet Buchanan from 98.5 KLUC will be broadcasting live every Tuesday night from The LINQ Fountains. For complete BLOQ Party offer details, please visit The LINQ BLOQ Party page.

Wednesday: Wine Walk Wednesday

Complimentary wine samples and live music at BLVD Cocktail Company from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday: Ladies Night

Ladies ride the High Roller for only $19.95 and receive a complimentary drink at the Sky Lounge and BLVD Cocktail Company.

For more information, visit: TheLINQ.com.

Valet and self-parking are conveniently located under the High Roller observation wheel, with access via Flamingo Road to LINQ Lane or Koval Lane to Winnick Ave.

Great Expectations: A Fine Line in Business Branding

In this Yelp-driven world where reviews can spread like wildfire and have incredible impact on your business, customer perception is paramount… every time. This isn’t to say customer satisfaction hasn’t always been the highest priority, but if we’re considering the information-age and the abundant resources for one disgruntled patron to voice disconcert, I’m just saying our margin for error as a business (and as business-owners and employees) has gone down dramatically. 

Something I’ve noticed with my clients through the years that makes the threat of error even greater is their tendency to set expectations too high. As a brand (and we’re all brands), creating larger-than-life expectations with your clients can almost immediately set you up for a failure that’s hard to come back from if you hit an issue that, while certainly not the norm, blindsides the client without so much as a tap on the shoulder. As I’m always looking for other resources that can help my customers find success, I stumbled across the article below that explains this kind of incident perfectly as well as giving some great advice as how to avoid the “Great Expectations” trap, and keep your brand’s reputation spotless without having to be perfect…every time.

Enjoy. 

Great Expectations Can Be a Drag…On Your Brand

Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth launches #pickupthetab to feed homeless teens for the holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas can be unsettling and scary for homeless youth unable to be with family. While everyone else is enjoying a holiday feast, homeless teens are wondering when they will eat their next meal.

To make it easier for more than 9,000 Clark County homeless youth to get a hot meal during this time, the nonprofit Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) is launching its annual Plastic Food Drive and new companion #pickupthetab online component. Now in its eighth year, the drive recently began and will run through Tuesday, Nov. 25.

To meet its goal, Southern Nevada’s most comprehensive service provider for homeless teens seeks participation from community members and businesses – individually or through employee and/or customer drives – to buy $5 or $10 fast food or $25 grocery store gift cards.

“These gift cards mean no homeless youth has to go without a hot meal for the holidays,    regardless of their living situation or access to a kitchen,” said Arash Ghafoori, NPHY executive director. “A $5 gift card provides one meal for a homeless teen; $10, two meals; and $25 at a grocery store provides meals for several days. With the growing number of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, the community’s support for the Plastic Food Drive is more important this year than ever before.”

There are a number of ways to get involved with the Plastic Food Drive:

• Purchase a $5 or $10 gift card from a fast food restaurant.
• Purchase a $25 gift card from a local grocery store.
• Donate online at https://www.nphy.org/donate
• Implement an employee or customer Plastic Food Drive by calling 702-383-1332 or visiting www.nphy.org/PFD for information or to get started.
• Participate in the #pickupthetab online donation campaign.

o   Go to www.gofundme.com/nphypickupthetab to donate $5 or $10.

o   Snap a picture of your lunch and post it on Facebook with the caption: “Did you know there are over 9,000 homeless youth in Clark County? I’m having this for lunch today, but many of these youth do not know where their next meal is coming from. I donated $__ to NPHY to #pickupthetab for the meal of a homeless youth. Now I challenge you to #pickupthetab atwww.gofundme.com/nphypickupthetab. All funds raised will purchase food gift cards for homeless youth.”

o   Tweet: “I’m helping end homeless teen hunger. Now I challenge you to #pickupthetab at www.gofundme.com/nphypickupthetab”

o   Tag two friends and ask them to #pickupthetab for a homeless teen.  

Gift cards or other donations can be delivered to the NPHY Drop-In Center, located at 4981 Shirley Street, south of Tropicana Ave. near UNLV, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

To honor the single largest donation received for Plastic Food Drive this year, NPHY will engrave a brick with the donor or company’s name and include it in a special recognition section at the expansion of the Drop-In Center currently under construction.

For more information about the NPHY Plastic Food Drive and the nonprofit, visit www.nphy.org/PFD or call 702-383-1332.

AFAN’s Annual Holiday Toy Drive Kicks Off Today

Help make this holiday season extra special for more than 150 children, ages newborn to 17, who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS living in Southern Nevada by donating to AFAN’s annual Holiday Toy Drive starting now through Dec. 5.

Donate new, unwrapped toys to any of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or Jamba Juice locations listed below, or drop them off at AFAN’s offices. In addition, Sprinkles Cupcakes at The LINQ will accept donations from Nov. 29 through Dec. 14 and will give one complimentary cupcake with the donation of every toy. Requests to adopt a child or family can be made by emailing events@afanlv.org, and AFAN will provide a personal wish list.

The toy drive culminates in a festive holiday party to benefit the children of families that access AFAN services throughout the year. For many of these children, this holiday party provides the only gifts they will receive during the holiday season. One hundred percent of funds raised for this event go toward purchasing toys and providing a carefree holiday experience for the kids that includes a photo with Santa, holiday games, craft-making with the elves, and an opulent spread of delicious holiday treats.

Drop off locations:

Jamba Juice

• Pebble (1500 N Green Valley Pkwy, Ste 240)
  Sahara & Eastern (2675 S. Eastern Ave, Ste 400)
  McCarran Marketplace (5905 S. Eastern Ave, Ste 108)
  Cannery Corner (2546 E. Craig Rd, Ste 135)
  Westland Fair (1121 S. Decatur Blvd)
  West Sahara (9091 W. Sahara Ave)
  Rainbow & 215 (6925 S Rainbow Blvd., Suite 100)
  Siena Promenade – Store 1388 (10251 S. Eastern Ave Ste 120, Henderson, NV)

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

• West Lake Mead & Tenaya (7291 W. Lake Mead)
  UNLV (4550 W. Maryland Pkwy)
  The District at Green Valley Ranch (2220 Village Walk Dr)  
  Canyon Pointe (10834 W. Charleston Blvd, Ste 200)
  Town Center (3645 S. Town Center Dr, Ste 101)
  Patrick (6115 S. Rainbow Blvd, Ste 101)
  Meadows Mall (4300 Meadows Lane 89107)
  West Sahara (9091 W. Sahara Ave)

Sprinkles Cupcakes: 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. at The LINQ

AFAN offices: 1120 Almond Tree Lane, 89104
Monetary donations can be made online at afanlv.donordrive.com or by mailing checks to:

AFAN – Toy Drive/Holiday Party
1120 Almond Tree Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89104

For more information, please visit afanlv.org or call 702.383.8095.