Ronald McDonald House 14th annual Food Drive
The local community came together Jan. 31 to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas families at the 14th annual Food Drive.
The drive collected 18,000 pounds of food and supplies from local Smith’s supermarkets and $13,000 from raffle ticket sales, donations and gift cards. More than 200 volunteers helped with preparations and collecting, sorting, organizing and shelving donations.
Highlights from the drive included Ronald McDonald visiting Smith’s at Tropicana Avenue and Hualapai Way, where the character accepted a $1,000 check from Smith’s. He also helped at the Ronald McDonald House Charities House, sorting food and unloading trucks.
At one store, volunteers organized by McDonald’s owner/operator Eva Martin and her crew collected $1,900 in donations and raffle sales.
Las Vegas 4H Roadrunners and Tumbleweeds Club had at least 50 volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House Charities House unpacking and sorting donated food.
Nevada Farm Bureau, which has supported the Ronald McDonald House Charities for more than a decade, presented the charity with a check for $500.
Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a home away from home for families who must travel to Las Vegas to receive critical medical treatment for their children.
Bank, Barnes &Noble donate books to schools
City National Bank’s Reading is The way up nonprofit literacy program, in partnership with Barnes &Noble, set a record with its seventh annual Holiday Book Drive.
The drive, held in December, received 65,000 new books valued at more than $200,000. The books were given to 33 schools and nonprofit organizations in Nevada, California, New York and Nashville, Tenn.
Customers at 17 Barnes &Noble stores in four states donated 32,500 new books, which City National matched with a $100,000 donation for an additional 32,500 new books to be purchased through Barnes &Noble by the school librarians at each of the schools receiving books. This donation also sets a record for the number of books donated through this holiday program.
Nonprofit group will open local clinic
Foundation for Positively Kids, a nonprofit providing comprehensive health care services for Clark County children, will celebrate the grand opening of its neopediatric clinic at 11 a.m. Feb. 19.
The 2,200-square-foot clinic, at 2480 E. Tompkins Ave., features Nevada’s first high-risk infant follow-up program, which reviews clinical outcomes of infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit.
Specialty services include extensive monitoring of growth and brain development for premature infants and care for infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Programs for caregivers include lactation training, educational sessions on infant cues and sign language, counseling for postpartum depression and how to detect and treat infant behavioral and anxiety disorders.
The grand opening is open to the public. Information on clinic services will be provided; light refreshments will be served.
Bank of America to sponsor Special Olympics relay
Bank of America will sponsor the first Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America this summer.
The Unified Relay, commonly referred to as the torch run, will pass through all 50 states over 46 days from May 26 through July 10.
More than 20,000 participants will bike, run or walk during the relay to raise awareness and money for the Special Olympics. Participants who sign up to carry the torch will need to pledge to raise a targeted amount. Along each route, welcoming ceremonies and community celebrations will take place nightly with musical performances, celebrity guests and a series of individual unofficial Special Olympics competition activities.
In its role as presenting sponsor, Bank of America will provide significant financial and volunteer support to the Unified Relay. The company will also use its connections in local communities to encourage participation from individuals, families and businesses.
Bank of America has partnered with Special Olympics for more than 30 years and is committed to inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities.
Silver State Schools Credit Union offering scholarships
Silver State Schools Credit Union’s scholarship program will award six $2,000 scholarships to Nevada students this year. The criteria include both academic achievements and community involvement.
To apply, applicants must be graduating from an accredited Nevada high school in 2015 and complete an application form with credit union association documented transcripts, an essay, recommendation letters from a teacher, high school counselor and community member or employer and SAT and/or ACT scores.
Applications may be dropped off at any Silver State Schools Credit Union location or mailed to Silver State Schools Credit Union, Attn: Marketing Department, 4221 McLeod Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89121 by April 1.
The scholarship committee will announce the selections and award the scholarships to recipients April 25 at the credit union’s annual membership meeting.
For more information, email the Silver State Schools Credit Union marketing department at marketing@silverstatecu.com.
Apparel donations tied to MAGIC convention
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada will again partner with Soles4Souls and FN Platform at the kickoff of MAGIC February 2015.
“We’re very grateful to Soles4Souls and FN Platform for providing our ‘Littles’ and their siblings with brand-new necessities for school,” said Molly Latham, executive director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada. “Many of our mentees are from low-income families and new clothes and shoes are a big deal.”
The second annual Soles4Souls and FN Platform Gives Back to Kids event will provide stylish footwear and apparel to children and teens, ages 6-18, that are enrolled in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada programs. Volunteers from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada, Soles4Souls and FN Platform will distribute the goods from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 16 in the North Hall Room N261 of the Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road.
Soles4Souls has relationships with several apparel brands that provide new overstocks, returns, discontinued models and other shoes or clothing items. Soles4Souls also receives millions of used shoes and clothes that have been collected by individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners. New donor partners include Democracy Clothing, Adidas, Stride Rite, Converse and Payless shoes.
“We have a great team and a passionate group of supporters and donors around the world, and many at MAGIC,” Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster said. “This partnership helps children and families regain their dignity. Our goal is to break the cycle of poverty and build self-esteem.”
FN Platform, presented by MAGIC, is North America’s most comprehensive footwear marketplace, where leaders and innovators converge to shape the industry, shop and sell shoes
Shave Day to support St. Baldrick’s Foundation
Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada supporters will gather at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 for Family and Friends Shave Day at L’Oracle Gym, 7020 W. Warm Springs Road.
Family and Friends Shave Day is an annual fundraiser where individuals and teams who have gathered donations will brave the shave on stage. All proceeds will go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest funder of childhood cancer research grants outside of the U.S. government. Organizers have committed to a $25,000 fundraising goal for this year. Last year, a total of $28,897 was raised.
For more information or to donate, call 888-899-2253 or visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/11631/2015.
Compiled by Chanelle Hayes