Color Me Mine
Ah the dog days of summer; staying cool by the pool, warm sun and family fun. But what of those moms and their children who don’t have swimsuits let alone a waterin’ hole to play in? Well, Color Me Mine paint-your-own pottery studio in The District came up with a colorful solution.
Carla and James Arriola, owners of Color Me Mine, wanted to give back to the community. Their canvas of choice? Safe Nest, providing shelter, counseling, advocacy and prevention services to abused women and children. On June 24th, Carla and James donated their studio for the first ever event of its kind. In lieu of paying the studio’s normal painting fee, guests donated swimsuits to Safe Nest. In return, they painted for several hours while noshing on appetizers and wine samples donated by Renato Lebron from Trader Joes on Eastern.
After all was donated and painted, Safe Nest received 40 swimsuits. Later that week, some grateful Safe Nest families spent a much-needed afternoon laughing, splashing and enjoying being together at a private donor’s pool. For more information on Safe Nest, visit www.safenest.org. For info on Color Me Mine, call 522-1338.
Fire & Rain Firefighter Bachelor Auction
Firefighters might be best known for putting out flames, but on Saturday, June 19th the tides turned as they heated up Rain Nightclub inside the Palms Casino Resort. Eighteen of Southern Nevada’s bravest firefighters upped the temp to smokin’ hot degrees when they took the stage for the 11th Annual Fire & Rain Firefighter Bachelor Auction.
Of course, there’s little to complain about sweltering indoor heat when it’s for a good cause, and as a fundraiser for The Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, that it was. A non-profit organization, the Burn Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance to burn victims and their families, assist in catastrophic events as a resource to the community and to further educate the community of fire and life safety.
“A lot of hard work went into making this event a big success,” said Warren Whitney, public information officer for the Burn Foundation. “We received a tremendous amount of support from our community partners, bachelors, volunteers and those who attended our event.” Those who attended amounted to roughly 550 and managed to raise $50,000 for the Burn Foundation. In the parlance of our times, “That’s hot.” For more information, visit www.theburnfoundation.org.
Vision Source Las Vegas
It takes real vision to make a difference in the lives of others. Specialists like Vision Source might have the upper hand, but it’s their generosity that really sparkles. As part of their 2010 See the Change Scholarship program, they’ve made it easier for three local high school students to envision a brighter future.
Amber Bennett from Advanced Technologies Academy, Chelsea Kimpton from Palo Verde High School and Alec Madriaga from Northwest Career and Technical Academy each received a $1000 cash award granted based on a combination of outstanding academic performance and unique community service involvement. All three demonstrated creative thinking in the development of community service projects that address a health-related issue affecting the local Las Vegas community.
“This year’s recipients are young adults who not only show academic excellence, but also a strong dedication to serving their community through volunteer work,” explains Dr. James Beckwith of Vision Source Las Vegas Summerlin/Lakes. “It is an honor for Vision Source to award such outstanding students and help them in their journey. We feel confident that each will be successful and will continue to do good in the community.” To learn more about the scholarship program, visit www.visionsourcevegas.com.
Double Helix Wine Bar & Boutique
Pop the cork and toast to good wine and global initiatives! Double Helix Wine Bar & Boutique in The Shoppes at The Palazzo just teamed up with ReCork, a nonprofit cork recycling organization out of Napa Valley, and SOLE shoes to make an impact in the lives of many and the health of our planet.
Recycled cork has been used to make tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials and more. In partnership with ReCork, SOLE shoes has found yet another use for recycled stoppers–comfy footwear. The program is linked to a global initiative to save and protect the over 6 million acres of cork forests that dot the Mediterranean Basin. In addition to the cork recycling, ReCork and SOLE have pledged to sponsor the planting of a minimum of four thousand cork oaks in Portugal.
You can help Double Helix support the cause by dropping off your collection of corks at their special drop box. As incentive, Double Helix is offering special treats for contributions. Drop off 10 corks and get $2 off any drink at the bar. Drop off 25 corks and your second drink is free. For 50+ corks, you’ll receive 25% off any bottle of wine in the store or bar. It’s a win, win and wine for all. Visit www.recork.org or www.doublehelixwine.com for more info.
We R Community
These kids today…they’re so altruistic! Through an initiative of The Public Education Foundation called We R Community, high school students from nine Clark County School District high schools are awarding grants worth a total of $45,000 to a few worthy organizations in the valley.
Throughout the yearlong effort, participating students answered the call of 51 grant requests from 31 local nonprofit organizations. We R Community students spent the year operating much like a mini foundation, creating a mission statement, conducting needs assessments, reviewing grant applications and funding grants. Each We R Community class received $5,000 donated by sponsors, and the students decided which nonprofits to fund with the money, which was awarded to organizations such as HopeLink, Shade Tree, Three Square, The Rape Crisis Center and others, at celebratory awards ceremonies.
“We R Community is a wonderful and engaging service-learning experience,” said Judi Steele, president of The Public Education Foundation. “Our students identify the needs in their community, and they learn how they can make a significant difference in areas that matter most to them. It’s a very empowering program.” That it is! For more information, visit www.thepef.org.
Shuffle Master
The late Timothy Parrott, former CEO of Shuffle Master, Inc., was a visionary in many ways, building a business out of pure innovation. But he also had a passion for community, from which he initiated the Adopt-a-School concept. Shuffle Master, Inc. is continuing to bring his idea to fruition by working with three of the community’s leading nonprofits: The Public Education Foundation, Spread the Word Nevada and Three Square Food Bank.
In total, Shuffle Master donated $60,000 that was divvied up among the nonprofit organizations and used to provide resources for Jack Dailey Elementary School and the students who attend, many of whom are considered at-risk.
With these funds, the Public Education Foundation will provide students with new and used clothing and give teachers much needed classroom supplies from the foundation’s Teacher EXCHANGE, a reuse resource center for CCSD teachers. Spread the Word Nevada will use their share to establish its Kids to Kids Program, Breakfast with Books Program and Books & Buddies Program. Three Square’s funds will be used for their BackPack for Kids Program. To learn more about Shuffle Master, visit www.shufflemaster.com.
Car Seat Check for Safety
Drs. Joey Adashek and Paul Wilkes of Desert Perinatal Associates spend their days caring for and dispensing invaluable advice to women with child. Wanting to give equal attention to certain precautions once the baby is born, they’ve recently partnered up with Safe Kids Clark County, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of injury to children.
In the U.S., car crashes are the leading cause of death for kids under the age of 14. Research shows that the use of a properly installed car seat can reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for children ages 1 to 4. Additional research shows that although 96% of parents believe they install and use their car seats correctly, nearly 73% of car seats are misused.
Starting in mid-April, the good doctors began sending “car seat prescriptions” home with new parents to spring load their campaign for child safety. With the help of Safe Kids Clark County, they’ll also be conducting car seat checks at Belly Bliss/Desert Perinatal Associates (5761 S. Fort Apache Rd.) on the 4th Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-noon. The cost is $20, but you just can’t really put a price on the knowledge that your child is safe, can you? For more information, visit www.desertperinatalassociates.com or www.safekidsclarkcounty.org.
McDonald’s MAC Grant
The fast food conglomerate behind the famous golden arches is proving to have more for the community than just Big Macs, Fillets of Fish, Quarter Pounders and French fries. Through a special grant program, the Greater Las Vegas McDonald’s Operator Association is helping local teachers in Clark County create unique and educational learning experiences for their students.
“We are proud to offer this much needed program to local communities and their school,” says James Vance, President of the local McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association. McDonald’s MAC Grant program is available to all Clark County Schools grades K-8th and gives local teachers an opportunity to apply for up to $500 to help fund an activity that gives the students a unique and interesting learning experience they may not otherwise be able to afford.
So far, five grants have been awarded totaling over $2000 for educational tools such as a Mindstorms NXT robotics kit to simulate ocean exploration, and solar system themed Monopoly style games combining real world mathematical skills and science based lessons. By the end of 2010, McDonald’s program will award 20 MAC Grants for a total of $10,000. We’re lovin’ it. Visit www.mcdonalds.com for more info.
Rock the Tea/Child Focus
There are thousands of foster children in Nevada. In the shuffle from home to home, school to school, family to family, many of these children don’t receive all the care they need, and sometimes they just don’t have the time or occasion to relax and enjoy the silly things in life. That’s why when family-oriented organizations like Rock the Tea and nonprofits like Child Focus join forces, the result is an amazing experience for all involved, with long-lasting and joyous ripple effects.
Sunday February 28th, Rock the Tea hosted an inaugural fundraiser and community event for Child Focus, serving the needs of foster children in Nevada. The event was a hit, with about 300 in attendance, some foster children with foster parents, some parents and their biological children. Even Miss Teen Nevada and Miss Nevada made an appearance to sign autographs. Children at the event dressed up, sang karaoke, had mini manicures, showed their wild side with washable tattoos and bounced on the jumpee. Smiles were had by all, and the event helped to raise over $1700 in funds for Child Focus.
Rock the Tea is a modern, clean and elegant party place for girls to explore their imaginations and creativity. To learn more about it, visit www.rockthetea.com. For more info on Child Focus, visit www.childfocusnv.org.
S.A.V.E.
S.A.V.E. isn’t just any ol’ nonprofit group; they’re the littlest givers around, and they’ve got soul! What is S.A.V.E. exactly? “It’s a program to promote peace and kindness within the school and community,” says Julie Doody, counselor at Elise Wolff Elementary school and facilitator of the group. The children of S.A.V.E., all students of Wolff, meet once a month to discuss school activities and current issues, and to organize and participate in projects from giving personal thanks to community workers to welcoming new students.
Recently, these philanthropists-in-training wanted to do a service project to help out survivors in Haiti, so Doody contacted Soles4Souls Inc., The Shoe Charity. Together with the nonprofit organization, the students and Doody launched a very successful drive for gently-used shoes. “Our initial goal was to collect 500 pairs of shoes,” says Doody, “However, after only two weeks, [we] collected over 540 pairs of shoes!” All told, they collected over 900 pairs of shoes during the month-long drive. That’s no small feat for some wee little feet. We’d like to thank the students of S.A.V.E. and Julie Doody for working so diligently to help others. These children are the future, and they sure do make us proud.
