United Way of Southern Nevada

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United Way of Southern Nevada Honors Martin Luther King Jr. with ‘A Day ON, not a Day OFF’

January 19, 2012 in Client news | No comments

United Way of Southern Nevada’s Volunteer Center hosts thousands of service projects throughout the year. From soup kitchens to clothing drives and everything in between, Las Vegans have so many opportunities to give back. Of all the current projects available, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day beautification project at City Impact Center caught my attention.

For some, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is a free day from school or work. Most forget the actual purpose of the day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. It is reserved as a time for Americans from all walks of life to work side by side to strengthen and improve their communities.

More than 200 volunteers pitched in to continue Dr. King’s legacy of equality, justice and peace for all.  Children as young as five years old, UNLV students, Starbucks street teams and adults joined in the effort to celebrate the holiday by painting murals, cleaning apartments for senior citizens, landscaping the grounds and picking up trash around the campus at City Impact Center (950 E. Sahara Ave). I spoke to several volunteers to find out why it was important to serve on their day off and a single message resonated: to follow Dr. King’s footsteps by helping and serving others.

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Fieldtrip to Las Vegas City Hall: Proclamations among other things

October 21, 2011 in Client news | No comments

I had the pleasure of visiting Las Vegas City Hall for the first time today. I was there to support United Way of Southern Nevada as they received a proclamation in honor of their Make A Difference Day event, a donation drive spearheaded in collaboration with Three Square, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Salvation Army and Albertsons. 

To celebrate National Make A Difference Day, all Southern Nevada Albertsons will be collecting food, clothing, household items and toothbrushes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Albertsons located at 4055 S Durango Drive (Flamingo/Durango) will serve as the main site for the event. Donors are invited to enjoy barbeque, kids’ activities, prizes, a live DJ and more.               

Prior to the Make A Difference Day proclamation reading, City Hall held its morning meeting as usual. Topics ranged from disputes about the surrounding land at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, the Las Vegas to Los Angeles high-speed railway concept, City Hall’s “Employee of the Month,” restaurant openings and more. There was even an elderly man in the audience who came forward to speak to the council. He simply wanted to express his admiration of Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s husband, Oscar, and that he had seen him appear in an old movie. 

Honored guests receiving proclamations or recognition included 2012 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year Lynda Archambault of R.O. Gibson Middle School, two elite high school tennis players from the No Quit Tennis Academy and a group of women diagnosed with lymphedema, a rare disease sometimes caused by the surgery radiation therapy used to treat breast cancer. All of the honorees paid gratitude to the city council members for noticing their strides in the community. They were all equally proud to be Las Vegans and have government officials who truly cared about their needs and accomplishments. 

I was moved by the stories of all the individuals committed to improving the city of Las Vegas. I had never witnessed a City Hall meeting and it was exciting, but I took away much more about the culture, pride and people of Las Vegas than I ever could have imagined. As a one-year resident to the city, it is easy to fall victim to the notion that the idea of community is obsolete here, which in some cases is absolutely true. Today, however, I caught a glimpse of the roots of the true citizens that keep this city running and alive.

 

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United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council Holds Suit Drive Benefiting Women In Need

November 17, 2010 in Client news | No comments

Members of United Ways Women's Leadership Council and volunteers from The Links

What could have been mistaken as the hour-long lunch line at your favorite McDonald’s was the influx of cars pouring into United Way’s parking lot to support the Women’s Leadership Council’s annual suit drive. Bags upon bags filled with gently-used, women’s professional clothing and accessories spilled out from the cars. Along with the clothes came stories of encouragement, optimism and inspiration.

A 45-year-old woman spoke of her mother who recently passed away three months prior and the pain of not knowing what to do with her overfilled closets. Stuffed with classic garments channeling Grace Kelly’s demur style, the daughter was heartbroken at the thought of sorting through her belongings, to only have them tossed on a shelf at some dimly lit consignment store. The suit drive was an answer to her prayers. Her mother had always been a supporter of United Way and believed in the lasting change the organization advocates for in the community. Filled with encouragement and the spirit of her mother, the woman tackled the closets to help fill several empty hangers on the racks.

As the day wore on and the stories and apparel came in, the air became drenched with compassion and hope, spread by those behind the clothing-filled bags. It soon became hard to keep the warm tears from staining the cheeks of the donors and volunteers.

Rhonda Clausen, co-chair of United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council credits the inspirational stories she hears as motivation and often finds herself wanting to add just one more suit to an empty hanger. “Each suit represents the chance for a new start in a woman’s life,” she said.

Lexy Capp - United Ways Womens Leadership Council Volunteerism Co-Chair

Her first suit drive, Clausen recalls her most heartfelt moment when a young man in his late 20s arrived with a trunk full of women’s business suits, many with the tags still attached. Meeting his tear-filled glance, she asked where all these suits were coming from.  He said they belonged to his wife who was killed by a drunk driver. Over the last year, he had been unable to muster the courage to go through her items. When he heard about the Women’s Leadership Council’s suit drive benefiting local women’s shelters, he felt inspired to take action. Like himself, his wife was a police officer who worked with victims of domestic abuse. Safe Nest, one of the shelters receiving suits from the drive, was dear to her heart. The young man felt the best way to honor his wife’s memory was to give her personal items to other women who needed a fresh start.

United Way of Southern Nevada’s Women’s Leadership Council collected 4,027 gently-used suits and professional attire at its annual suit drive. All items collected were distributed to local area shelters including Safe Nest, S.A.F.E. House, The Shade Tree and Goodwill of Southern Nevada to assist women.

 - Jenny Burke

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