Guns and Ammo Garage Supports Nevada Special Olympics
The Nevada Special Olympics seeks to teach sportsmanship and acceptance, while instilling valuable confidence in people with intellectual and physical disabilities. In a time where bullying is more rampant than ever and ignorance seems just as prevalent, the organization seeks to empower not only its athletes, but also thousands of volunteers, coaches, students and others through sports and local programs and by shining a light on the unique beauty of each human being.
In October the PBR World Finals Rodeo celebrated its 20th year in Nevada, including its annual Celebrity Classic at Bear’s Best Las Vegas, benefitting the Nevada Special Olympics. Specifically, funds were raised for the Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program, which connects disabled and non-disabled young students in the mission to spread understanding and acceptance. Local company Guns and Ammo Garage participated in the tournament as a Gold Sponsor, donating over $18,000 to the non-profit at a ceremony during the rodeo. “Because of the generosity of Guns and Ammo Garage, this money will allow us to sponsor 72 children and adults with special needs to be able to participate in various programs throughout the community,” says Maggie Schwarz, Regional Vice President of Special Olympics Nevada. “We are so appreciative of their support and know that this money will go a long way.”
This is the second year Guns and Ammo Garage has partnered to support the Nevada Special Olympics, which at its core, allows free participation for 3,000 disabled athletes to compete in 19 competitions around the region. To learn more about support the Nevada Special Olympics visit www.sonv.org. For more information on Guns and Ammo Garage visit www.gunsandammogarage.com.
Healing Hands for Arthritis – Massage Envy
Nearly a quarter of Nevadans are afflicted by arthritis, suffering daily from joint pain that at times is debilitating without the promise of relief. The disease affects nearly 50 million people nationwide (a surprising two-thirds majority under the age of 65) including 300,000 children, and is the leading cause of disability in the U.S.
One source of potential reprieve for arthritis sufferers is massage, creating a perfect union for Massage Envy to partner with the Arthritis Foundation, which works to raise awareness and funds for a cure. In September, Massage Envy, including 12 local clinics, participated in the 3rd Annual Healing Hands for Arthritis. Each clinic donated $10 from every massage and facial booked on September 18, as well as a portion of proceeds from certain salon products sold that day. “Through personal experience, watching my mother suffer from the debilitating affects of arthritis, and seeing so many guests obtain relief from our services, I am very proud to be a part of this amazing event,” said Theresa Lahrs of Massage Envy in Anthem. “The funds raised by Massage Envy nationally, will assist the Arthritis Foundation to create awareness, find new treatments and a cure for the disease. Healing Hands For Arthritis exemplifies Massage Envy’s vision – ‘Better lives. Better families. Better communities. A better world…through our hands.’”
Locally, Massage Envy raised over $14,000 for Arthritis Foundation. Nationally, that number trumped $898,000. Not a bad day’s work, considering participants generated the funds while getting pampered at the spa! To learn more about Arthritis Foundation visit www.arthritis.org. For information about Massage Envy and the Healing Hands for Arthritis program visit www.massageenvy.com.
The Animal Foundation Wins $100,000 in ASPCA Challenge
Every year, millions of animals are given up to shelters. For those of us who look at our pets like furry family members, this is a hard number to imagine. What’s even harder to swallow is that a large percentage of those animals are ultimately euthanized because they can’t be placed in a proper home with people who love them. The Animal Foundation in our community works day-in and day-out to avoid this devastating truth about unwanted pets and, this summer, their hard work paid off.
Outperforming 48 other shelters nationwide, The Animal Foundation was the winner of the $100,000 Grand Prize in the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. The goal of the challenge was to increase the number of lives saved this summer (June, July and August) over the summer of 2012. Amazingly, The Animal Foundation was able to increase its number by over 1,000 animals from the previous year, beating its second-place rival by only a small margin. “We were completely shocked,” stated Meghan Scheibe, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for The Animal Foundation. “We worked our tails off this summer to place as many animals into loving homes as possible, and hoped that it would be enough to win the Grand Prize. We’re so excited to have won this life-saving funding, and are so grateful to our staff, volunteers and the community for their continued support.”
When you look at your pups, cats or other animal family, be sure to remember what The Animal Foundation is doing for those not lucky enough to have a loving home.
Local Restaurants Support Create a Change Now
In a world where childhood obesity is one of our scariest and most rampant epidemics, proactive organizations are working on the front-end to stop the problem before it reaches the doctor’s office, hospital or worse. Educating our children and families about the importance of healthy, clean eating, cooking and growing our own food has become a necessity we can no longer ignore.
Create a Change Now, a local non-profit, is dedicated to empowering children to look at food in a different, healthier way in spite of many external pressures that may tempt them to do otherwise. In its most recent fundraiser, local community restaurants including Bradley Ogden’s Hops & Harvest, Poppy Den by Chef Angelo Sosa, Rachel’s Kitchen, DW Bistro, Circus Circus and Bon Bread were on hand to give tastes of local cuisine, while fresh52 and Artisan Market also attended to showcase fresh local produce. “Our goal is to fight childhood obesity which has become a national epidemic in this country. Our first big fundraiser was geared to entertain and appeal to the entire family,” said Melissa Blynn, executive director of Create a Change Now.
The circus-themed event raised over $18,000 to be used to help support nutritional education, chef demonstrations as well as planting more edible gardens in schools to bring healthy eating to the forefront and prevent the potentially disastrous results of ignoring the influence of food on our young people. For more information on Create a Change Now, visit www.createachangenow.org.
Smiles for Survivors
The ripple effect of breast cancer on a person’s life, their family and loved-ones, is only masked by the severe and detrimental result it can have on the person’s overall health and appearance. The brutal truth survivors must face is that even the means to fight the disease can have terrible and lasting side effects. One of the more conspicuous, yet little discussed consequence is the degeneration of survivors’ teeth as they are taken through chemotherapy. A local non-profit is on a mission to raise awareness of this specific byproduct of chemo, and bring smiles and joy back to a cancer survivor’s life by restoring the damage.
The Smiles for Survivors Foundation ™ held its 3rd Annual Blow Out Breast Cancer event at Square Colour Salon + Spa in Summerlin, raising over $26,000 to provide preventative and restorative dental treatment and education for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. More than 350 people attended the event sponsored by Square Colour Salon + Spa, By Dzign Furniture, Rob Jensen Company – Guard Gated Real Estate, Park Place Infiniti and Couture Dermatology and Plastic Surgery.
“Receiving the gift of a smile allows me to share my story with others who are affected by this disease,” said survivor and patient, Lilly Gill. “I can never thank Drs. Olya Banchik, Bradley Strong and Mark Degen enough for the wonderful new smile they have provided for me.” The team of volunteers replaced Gill’s missing teeth and restored her remaining teeth. No longer self-conscious about her mouth’s appearance, Gill explained that the dentists also restored her joyful spirit. For information on Smiles for Survivors, visit www.smilesforsurvivors.org.
Making A Difference: Yellow Checker Star
Members of the police and fire department as well as first responders put themselves in danger on a regular basis to protect and serve their fellow citizens. Some brave men and women are even tragically killed in the line of duty, never hesitating to provide service despite the most dangerous conditions. On July 22, Metro Police Officer David Vanbuskirk made the ultimate sacrifice while performing a search and rescue mission to retrieve a missing hiker in Mount Charleston. A local taxi service sought to help the family of the officer and honor others who have left behind loved ones in the name of a greater cause.
Yellow Checker Star (YCS) recently announced it would donate $5,000 to the widow of fallen Officer Vanbuskirk. As part of an industry that frequents the streets and roads of the city, YCS drivers and employees felt an obligation to venerate the officer and all those who strive to keep those same avenues safe for locals and visitors alike. “We see the work that Metro police officers perform day after day,” said YCS Director Jonathan Schwartz. “Metro officers keep our communities and our streets safe. Yellow Checker Star wants to recognize and honor Vanbuskirk’s sacrifice, along with the efforts of all Metro officers.”
YCS donated through a non-profit organization, Injured Police Officers Fund, whose goal is to reduce the financial burden suffered by police officers and their families in the event of a line of duty injury or death. Others who desire to help the Vanbuskirk family can do so by visiting www.injuredpoliceofficers.com.
Making A Difference: Rio Spa and Salon Annual Cut-a-Thon for Locks of Love
Surviving the normal trials and tribulations of childhood is hard enough, but dealing with every day pressures while also managing an illness that causes complete hair loss can be almost too much to bear. Locks of Love, a national non-profit organization that collects donated hair to create custom high-end hairpieces, seeks to add hope and confidence into the lives of those children suffering from hair loss. A local spa, touched by the mission, went above and beyond to collect hair for this worthy cause.
The Rio Spa & Salon in August collected over 50 ponytails at its Fourth Annual Cut-A-Thon to benefit Locks of Love. Smiling and visibly excited to donate their luscious locks, more than 20 guests young and old turned up for the event. As if this beautiful display of generosity wasn’t enough an additional donor, heartened by the contribution of the other participants, was moved to visit the salon the next day, donating 29 inches of hair. The majority of recipients of the donated hair are children suffering from cancer in addition to other disorders, the most common being alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure.
“The annual Locks of Love cut-a-thon is our team’s favorite day of the year,” said Sparkle Drebert, Rio Spa & Salon manager. “It’s amazing to see all the participants donating their hair to such a great cause as well as to watch how excited they are about their new looks.” For more information on Locks of Love, visit www.locksoflove.org.
Making a Difference – Citibank and United Way of Southern Nevada
We tend to think of health in terms of nutrition, exercising and general physical wellness. United Way of Southern Nevada thinks of health in terms of community, and places a much broader definition on what makes our community a “healthy” one. The building blocks of United Way’s quest for communal health? Solid educational foundation, financial stability and healthy lives.
Most recently, Citibank contributed to the bold mission of United Way by presenting United Way of Southern Nevada President and CEO Cass Palmer a $60,000 check to assist local families in their quests for financial security. These funds were earmarked to forward the wellbeing of the local community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Las Vegas Healthy Communities Coalition (LVHCC) initiatives, projects spearheaded by United Way. The newest of the two programs, LVHCC, focuses on the most vulnerable children and families in our neighborhoods and is based on a model that calls for cross-community participation rather than individual efforts to achieve maximum results. With a goal to provide services to children from infancy through to adulthood, ultimately leading to future jobs and by default a healthier local economy, LVHCC holds a panorama of resources to aid the community.
“Citi values our partnership with the United Way and has been a long-time supporter of their initiatives to strengthen our community,” said a Citibank representative. “We are especially proud to be funding programs that ensure financial stability such as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program that helps low to moderate income families save money and plan for their future.” For more information on United Way of Southern Nevada visit www.uwsn.org.
Making a Difference – Project 150 Adds New Inspiration
As anyone with a teenager can confirm, it’s much easier to get kids to listen and talk to kids their own age rather than…well…you (or any other adult for that matter). This reality is what Project 150, a local program dedicated to offering supportive services, encouragement and guidance to homeless high school students throughout Clark County, is banking on with the addition of its newest spokesperson, Kayli Barker.
Fifteen-year-old Kayli isn’t your ordinary teen. In fact, as a licensed NASCAR driver and racecar driver from the age of 8, she’s far from it. In August, at 15 years and 24-days-old she set a new NASCAR record, becoming the youngest woman ever to win a NASCAR Whelen All-American series feature race. In addition to making dreams come true on the racetrack, Kayli understands the importance of education, maintaining straight A’s and never missing classes. Most importantly, Kayli realizes that we all need help to succeed in the face of adversity. “Project 150 means a lot to me,” Kayli said. “I can see the help that they’re giving these teens, just to make the next day go a little bit smoother and to help them graduate.”
With a mission to support over 6,300 homeless youth in our area to graduate high school in the midst of severe personal struggles, Kayli could be just what Project 150 needs to resonate with a group that may feel hopeless or alone. For more information about Project 150 visit www.Project150.org.
Expedia, Inc.
When we think of the homeless problem in our valley, it can be easy to sometimes forget that many of them aren’t even adults. Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) has long been dedicated to providing assistance and resources to homeless teens in Southern Nevada, and thanks to a recent gift from Expedia, Inc., their selfless mission can continue to change lives.
The generous $200,000 donation represents just a fraction of Expedia’s commitment to fighting homelessness with NPHY as the company dedicated its own time, resources and staff to help serve as champions of good will. Employees from Expedia’s local office volunteered with the nonprofit to put together survival packs and sack lunches for youth living on the streets. In addition, volunteers helped complete labor-intensive grounds work at the nonprofit’s William Fry Drop-In Center by stocking food and hygiene pantries, refinishing the center’s gazebo and setting up a streamlined processing center. Expedia also served as a co-presenting sponsor of NPHY’s fourth annual “Homeless Youth in the Alley” bowling tournament fundraiser in May.
“Expedia is a fabulous corporate partner who cares about helping our community,” said NPHY executive director Arash Ghafoori. “The company approached us last year asking how they could help. Barely a year later, they have already supported us and our clients in so many ways. We couldn’t ask for a more inspiring and helpful partner in the fight against youth homelessness.”
For more information on Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, visit www.nphy.org.
